


Run with Deer and hunt with Tiger

by Vahditar



Series: Tiger and Deer [2]
Category: Wolverine (Movies), Wolverine and the X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Violence, Chases, Dominance, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Feral, Feral Behavior, Fights, Hunters & Hunting, Logan - Freeform, Love, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, Mates, Mutants, OC, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Post - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Predator/Prey, Romance, Rough Sex, Roughness, Sabretooth - Freeform, Searching, Sex, True Mates, Understanding, Victor Creed - Freeform, Violence, Wolverine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-04-14 12:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14136390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vahditar/pseuds/Vahditar
Summary: As the stalking tiger did not leave nor attack, the injured deer couldn't decide which one was more dangerous: the tiger, or what lurked outside the nest? ATTENTION! WILL BE REWRITTEN





	1. Run prey run

**Author's Note:**

> !ATTENTION! This is a restarted sequel to Play Tiger And Deer.

She sits in a corner of a small room, trapped inside a straitjacket.  
She had tried to bit her wrists open and now they were tied to her chest. She couldn't lift them, not even to scratch an itchy nose.  
Swallowing around a gag there's an odd, leathery taste in her mouth. She chews on the thing. Her tongue is still sour from biting it.  
Nothing else to do, she stares at the room's closed door.  
It's locked and there's no handle. She could kick the door for long time but nothing would happen, no-one will answer.  
The door only opens from four to five times per day.  
Check ups at morning and evening, two meals per day.  
And then maybe experiments on her.  
It's now five days from the last testing, if she estimates right. They probably soon have something new.

The mutant hits her head against upholstered wall. Hits couple of more times.  
She is bored. So so bored. And a bit numb from sitting like this for long time.

Leaning forward she falls down face first.  
There's a deep chuckle with hint of growl.  
"Shut up", Anna mumbles through the gag.  
_"Didn't say anything bambi"_ , the feral man says while crouching next to her.  _"Just admired your gracefulness. That's what deers are known of, right?"  
"And kicking."_

Squirming in the suit she rolls onto her back and immediately regrets it. The ceiling light is blinding, so she turns onto her side.  
Ears perk as surveillance camera in the room moves and focuses back to her.  
Ignoring it, Anna focuses onto the boots in front of her. Looking up, she sees Victor, crouching with arms resting on his knees and looking down at her.

He has... Become a bit blurry, nowadays.  
Some features of his face are a bit off. Did he had that kind of shirt when she last saw him?  
Doesn't actually matter. She could imagine him in a tutu if she wanted to.  
Victor growls and slumps to sit.  
_"Don't you dare."_  
_"Oh? And what will you do about it?"_ Anna thinks this time.  
_"I'll leave."_  
Now that's not possible, she knows that. He's in her mind, he can't leave. If he tries, she'll just imagine him right back. Still, the threat holds her from remarking the fact.  
Instead she closes her eyes.  
  
After a moment Anna feels a palm, ever so lightly, petting her head. She almost can't feel it.  
But if she tries harder, she can feel the long claws with every stroke.

...How long has it been?  
Weeks, maybe a month or more? There's no clear signs of days changing. She can only judge from when the door opens and when she's taken into check ups or tests.  
And even that is not reliable way. Her biological clock surely is completely wrong but in desperation Anna will take anything to bring stability and rhythm into this strange environment. Otherwise she'll get crazy.  
Though maybe she already is...  
She isn't sure but Logan may also be here. She remembers him hazily before she woke up in a room tied to a chair, with strangers dressed in lab coats. She maybe heard Logan yell in a distance at some point. Then she was knocked unconscious, and moved into this room.  
The possibility of Logan also being here was at the same time worrying and comforting. Anna would like to know where exactly he was and see him. And get out of here with him.

Victor is scowling, arms over his chest and looks away.  
_"Jealous?"_  
_"...Maybe."_

Now that's an answer Anna didn't expect and it makes her worry. After all, this Victor is just the creation of her own imagination. He says what she wants to hear, what she would think  _real_  Victor would say. She's getting crazier. She has to get out of here.

 _"_ _Yeah but how? You pretty much have been loosing your cards every time. They're cautious of you."_  
Not helping. Need a window, figuratively, even just a small one.  
_"How about that pervert? He seems to like you."_  
Maybe not anymore after kicking and busting his balls. A stain of blood had formed on his trousers as the man was stunned.  
_"Yeah. Males don't take kindly after that. Can hold it against you to the grave."_  
_"Then maybe I should had kicked your nuts. Then all this wouldn't have happened..."_  
  
_"You blaming me?"_  
_"Yes."_  
_"How the hell this is my doing?!"_  
_"You came into my territory! And just messed up everything."_  
_"Not true."_  
_"I had everything before **you**  came and decided to be my stalker."_  
_"You were happy to **finally**  have some company."_  
_"If you hadn't brought me to the hospital, I wouldn't be here!"_  
  
Anna screams through the gag, kicks her legs against the floor and writhes.  
This is the puss fault, everything! If he hadn't come, if he hadn't stayed, Anna would had never- If he hadn't brought her into _that hospital,_ these people wouldn't have known about her!  
And now she was in this horrible room that made her go insane. Driving her into wanting the damn puss just come and take her away or something. Anna wanted out, she wanted her freedom!

She screams again.  
The door opens.  
She goes silent.  
Two guards enter the room.  
She is so happy.  
She however doesn't want to be cooperative, not moving her legs at all. So they just grab from the leather handles of her suit and drag her.

Anna almost giggles from giddiness for getting out.  
The hallways are almost as bare as the room, but the walls and floor are cold, hard concrete. Sometimes there's colored lines on the walls, and text. The lights flicker over her. Now and then there's someone walking past them. A person on a lab coat or having the same kind of gear as the guards taking her.  
Anna has not seen any other like her in this place. Was it just her? And maybe Logan?  
Feeling all these stimulations buzzes Anna's nerves. But she tries to focus.  
Remember the road, see and think what's behind the closed doors and on the hallways they don't take. Peek at what code the guard feeds to the door.  
And then they are there, at their destination.  
Room 119.  
It's at the top 2 list of hers. Guess what is the other room and which one is the first.  
  
It's either check up time now, or testing. She wishes it will be the first one. Those she knows and what happens at them but the tests? She never knows what the tests will held.

Soon she's tied up by belts. Her arms are against metallic armrests and legs on either side of the chair. She looks at the man, Fred. The pervert.  
He usually lets his touches linger more than is necessary when he fastens the belts. He makes faces when his supervisor or the guards don't pay attention.  
But now he doesn't do anything creepy. He's fast and does only the mandatory, glaring whenever their eyes meet.  
Guess he's still mad about that kick.

A woman sitting back towards them is typing the keyboard.  
Dr. Mishark reads on the badge which always hangs from her white coat. She has red, short hair and she always looks tired, speaking with this lengthening, even voice. She doesn't talk to Anna though. Anna had already made clear that she doesn't want to describe the symptoms she suffers when they use something on her.  
However, this time Dr. Mishark talks to her and there's actually some spirit behind the woman's actions.

"Your test results from the last test were promising, 1977", the woman says while standing up and walking to the tied up mutant. The doctor keeps talking.  
Anna understand some of what is said. She has studied human anatomy and organs, but then doctor goes into DNA, cells and molecules and Anna is lost after that.  
And though knowing probably won't help her situation, Anna wants to understand what is being done to her. She hates unknown. She despise unknown and uncertainty.  
_"That's why you struggle."_  
Victor is back, standing right behind Dr. Mishark, towering over the woman.  
_"Can't admit anything without a fight."_  
_"Shut up."_  
_"You know it's not dangerous to admit for yourself at least."_  
_"I need to focus on surviving here."_  
_"Hmmm..."_

Anna's gaze follows as the feral man walks around the room. Victor goes to the small mobile table. There are bottles and syringes and needles and tubes and all these nice little things that she soon will be poked and inserted with.

 _"What do you think? Is it gonna be hot or cold this time?"_  Victor questions as he looks at the bottles.  _"Stinging or buzzing? Your right arm's inner elbow looked pretty used last time. Like junkie's."_  
_"Shut, up."_  
_"Need me to hold your hand?"_  
_"Fuck you."_  
_"You did, couple of times, already."_  
_"Please..."_

Straightening up the feral man walks next to Anna. The hand with claws places on top of hers but she can't feel it. Not the weight nor the warmth that she hardly remembers anymore.

The real person in front of her, Dr. Mishark, gets enough and tells Freddy to start injecting. Anna blinks and tries to relax, control the shaking that's hiding just under the surface.  
She glances at the hand still laying on top of hers. It flickers. She doesn't want it, him, to disappear.  
She tries to focus on it, remember. She can't forget, she doesn't want to. She can't forget how he feels like, how he speaks, looks and smiles.  
She... She needs his strength. Her own... It is not enough, not anymore. Not with this lengthening torture that wears her mentally out and ties her physical strength down.  
The continuing isolation from anything and everything.  
This whole thing is not the same as stalking and fighting against some bleeding opponent.  
Staying here is making her crazy.  
She needs to stay lucid. And remembering Victor does that.  
_"Knew it."_  
Smug. He's smug. Has that stupid, smug smirk.  
_"And sexy voice that purrs against your ears"_ , whispers the voice as she sees Fred approaching with loaded syringe.  
Victor has claws that can cut skin like hot knife through butter, strong and deadly. Eyes of a true predator.  
Victor came for her, when she was wounded and alone. Guarded her like a dog its bone. She would really like that kind of guarding now.  
The spot on her left inner elbow is wiped with antiseptic before the needle is pressed in.  
She breaths sharply.  
Would she be how stupid, weak, crazy if she hoped that Victor would do that again? Save her? How pitiful would she be? Would he mock and look down at her, if she could not break from this by herself?  
Would Victor call her a prey? Keep her down for his own amusement?  
  
It stings when the sharp, thin needle pushes into her arm. The liquid is injected.  
It feels warm and stings, spreads. Heart start painfully ramming against her rib cage.  
Victor's hand starts to flicker again, vanishing and she panics.

 _"I wanted to trust you. I wanted to and started to. You gave me little of that, that I've always looked for."_  
_"And what's that, cub?"_

She lifts her gaze, staring, ignoring as her shirt is opened and things to monitor her vital signs are placed across her naked chest. A machine starts beeping and making noises but she doesn't focus on those irritating sounds.

Father is looking at her.

He's scowling with heavy brows, dark eyes looking her over and father is the only thing Anna can see at that moment. He's large, a bear, more of an animal than human. A predator.  
Anna feels like crumbling under the judging gaze, piece by piece and father doesn't even do anything else than just stares. It's enough for her. Because it can quickly turn from scary to terrifying as he gets upset with her. A growl to a slap so quickly, that she doesn't register the happening nor the pain as she fells into a shock, blinking as the blood trickles down against her temple. Just a small mistake, too late reacting, can cost a lot if she's not careful enough.  
  
Anna starts tearing up, hyperventilating.  
She's that little girl again. Who can't do anything but take it whatever father gives.

Because father knows best.

 _"The hospital was never a safe place"_ , father rumbles.  _"Too many strangers, too many open places, too many unknown areas. Anyone could come in and out, even into your room. And you were weak. An easy prey in a trap, no weapons. And yet, he left you. Easily to be taken. He didn't care if someone takes you."_

The world is turning into uncertainty, waving. She feels nausea. Her insides are flipping around, like in a washing machine.

_"You should had taken the control. Secured the room and stopped lazing around. And fucking. You just let him use you like I used your mother. A prey for breeding and eating."_

Warm, thick paste is raising inside her. It burns her throat. Makes her gag.

_"Did you forget everything I taught of how **not**  to be a prey?"_

Anna pukes. The stuff is bitter, warm, white and part of it gets stuck inside her mouth because of the gag. It slides back into her throat, suffocating her.  
People react around her.  
She feels dizzy for a minute, and then feels like shocked by lighting. It fills her with uncontrollable energy that waves over her sides.

_"A prey lies and waits to be attacked by a predator and never fights back. Just runs and hides, but in the end gets eaten. A predator never looses against a prey."_

"Get her on the bed and take that gag out now!"  
She's released, the gag removed, and two pairs of hands starts carrying her by limbs. She coughs out the suffocating fluid inside her mouth.  
"Help me with this!"

_"So which one are you, cub? A little prey? Or a predator that hunts everything?"_

Shaking, staring at Fred, Anna acts.  
She pulls her held arms, shoots upwards and bites onto Fred's throat. Sinks her teeth until they slam together. At the same time her legs starts kicking wildly. She's uncontrollable, determined like a deer getting up after falling down and a predator launching onto it.  
  
Fred lets go and stumbles backwards down to the floor, juddering as blood pours out from the open hole in his throat.  
Spitting out piece of flesh Anna takes on the next, closest living person in the room.  
The only guard in the room.  
  
She lunges, gets hit away by a fist. She turns back and again rushes towards. The guard gets their pistol out and shoots couple of times.  
She doesn't feel the bullets, can't feel the hot pain. It hardly slows her down. She makes her way to the guard and dodges to aside as they try to hit her again.  
She grabs the straightened arm and using it flips the guard onto the floor. Grabbing their hair she bashes their head against the hard floor many quick times.

Anna hears Dr. Minshark's risen voice almost screaming into a phone.

Grabbing the pistol from the guard's hand, Anna shoots the doctor. Then the guard and just to be safe, also Fred.  
Still shaking Anna pants and spits the mixed taste of vomit and blood. She wobbles a little bit. Shaking her head, slapping herself, she focuses.  
She's alone in the room.  
Free to move.  
She has to act quickly.

The window is open now and she needs to jump through it before it closes again.

* * *

Logan goes between unconsciousness and being aware of things.  
He slumps against the chair which he is securely strapped onto. There's this machine next to him. It beeps now and then, sucking his blood through tubes. He feels completely powerless, out of any strength.  
He can't even lift his head.  
It has been like this almost from the start, ever since he and Anna got captured.  
The people here have been keeping him out of it, strapped down and when ever he's somewhat awake, he's on this cursed chair and bumped out of blood by that goddamn machine that makes those fucking annoying noises!  
How long of this? Days?  
Can't remember.  
It's like a repeating nightmare. He doesn't get any break to focus onto the situation and what to do.

He just... Wants to sleep.

 _"Logan?"_  
The sounds of the machine are gone. Time to lie back down?  
"Logan!"  
A sharp slap across his face.

Blinking and slowly focusing he sees someone standing in front of him. A guard, cursing while holding their raised hand.  
"Freaking metal bonehead... Hey, Logan!"  
They know his name? He didn't give that, he didn't have anything on him that would- His phone?  
Another hit and the person grabs him by his shoulders, bringing their face to his eye-level. He knows those eyes, surely.  
"Logan wake up now or I'll leave your ass here."  
"...Anna?"  
"Yeah", she starts removing tubes and wires from him, not gently, but he's just happy to get free. Happy to see Anna alive and free.  
She has the guard gear on and blood all over her.  
"Wha- What hap...end?"  
"Questions later. Now, how well can you move?"  
The male mutant takes support from the chair as he shakily gets up. The room is too bright as he's a bit more awake.  
"Stand a minute, I'll give you something. This may first make you bit dizzy and nausea."  
"Wait. Wha-?"  
Logan grunts from a stink and without support he drops back into the chair. He start shaking. Feeling this odd wave of warmth and burning washing through him, suddenly bringing everything inside him to a peak. He's suddenly so aware that it's overwhelming.

Makes his mind turn.

"Now get up and lets get out of here."  
Looking up at the female the feral male growls, gets up and marches to the door. Slamming it open he looks at either direction, sniffs the air and listens. So many people running and shouting in the distances. Smoke is stinging in the air, not yet visible.  
Anna pushes past him. He glares down as the female leaves the cover of him being on the front.  
"Let's follow the green line", she says and points.  
Stepping again in front of her he pulls out his adamantium claws and starts running ahead, she following behind him.  
Need to keep the female safe, need to get out.

Following the green line they encounter couple of guards.  
Without a moment of hesitation, Wolverine charges and slices easily through them. Quickly annihilating the threat. He glances at the female feral who stops from raising her gun. She looks impressed, making him smirk.  
She stares at him, brows knitting for a moment.  
"...Let's go."

Running they follow the line. They try to avoid most people who are also going the same way.  
Suddenly Logan is grabbed by the back of his t-shirt and he whirls around, snarling. The female lets go, startled, before scowling at him.  
"If we keep running that direction, we will get spotted by a lot of people. You need a cover."  
Wolverine tilts his head.  
Someone's coming behind them, he gets in front of her.  
A white jacket person, who stop-  
A gunshot.  
Startled, Logan grabs Anna's raised, gun holding hand and growls.  
"What? You need a disguise."

They are in a large room where there's a crowd of people. The air smells of fear. The people are trying to get to be first at the exit, where there's a lot of guards with guns. The guards are checking IDs before letting people out through the glass doors.  
A white coat wearing Logan tries to keep himself in check, but it's hard. His instincts are restless.  
He **needs** to get them both out, and he just feels like ramming through these people and dragging the female out. She however sternly said to keep his head down and though part of him doesn't want to listen, he knows deep down that the female is right.  
They should not panic and hesitate now.  
And the female commanded him.

Still, Logan keeps glancing from their surroundings and back to the woman in front of him. He smells blood, her blood, on her.  
She's wounded, she limps slightly and there's blood.  
She smells of tension that gets stronger the closer they get to the doors.  
Standing right behind the female, Wolverine tries to calm her. He raises his hand and takes a hold of hers.  
She tenses more, glances down and then stares forward.  
After a moment, she briefly squeeze his fingers and Logan lets out a soft sound.  
She lets go of him.

At the doors a guard asks for their IDs.  
Logan watches as Anna gives hers first. The guard glances between the damaged badge and her face.  
"Haven't seen you before."  
"New here. First day."  
"Heh, seems like you got into a scuffle? Go to the red van to get a check up at your wounds and then report to your supervisor. Also you need to ask for a new badge after this."  
She nods.  
The guard stares.  
Logan starts to get ready...  
Then the guard gives the badge back and Anna walks through the glass doors. She's outside.  
"Next!"

It's Logan's turn and he gives his bloodied badge. It's suppose to be just as damaged as Anna's.  
The guard looks at the badge and Logan, stares at him. Logan glares back, swallowing down the deep warning sound that wants to be heard and his lips tug into a snarl.  
The guard knows, Logan sees it in their eyes. The badge drops.  
Logan pulls out his claws and thrusts one set through the guys jaw and head.

Everything goes into chaos after that.

The guards start shooting and attacking, the people start running away. Anna yells from outside, raising her gun.  
Logan smash through the glass door and the two of them start running, she in front and he behind as her shield.

The large prison of theirs is in middle of nowhere, a forest. There's melting snow, sun shining on bare sky and waking up wildlife running away just like the two of them. Shots are fired and people running after them as they disappear into the forest.  
In there, Logan notices he's falling behind as the female is running faster than him. Too much faster.  
Jumping after her over a fallen tree he tries to speed up.

But the female is running just too fast. She's getting too far away from him and he can't protect her if she gets away.  
"Anna!" he roars, she halts for a moment, turns to look at him. Their eyes meet.

Her eyes widen and there's a wave of fear as she stares at him running towards her with his claws out. She almost looks like a prey to Logan, staring and frozen like that.  
Wolverine feels this excitement suddenly surging through him.  
She turns away and starts running. Away from  _him_.

Springing, the feral just in time gets a hold of the female. He pulls his claws in, and the two of them stumble onto the ground.  
She's in panic, kicking and hitting him, the gun dropped to the ground.  
Wolverine gets a hold of himself, before his teeth touches the female's throat.

 _Not_ a prey. A person, friend. Anna. Not a prey.

"Shit", he gets up quickly, but keeps a tight hold on the struggling woman who just tries to get away from him. He needs to keep his head now, they're still chased.  
"Anna, calm down."  
She's reeking of fear, trying to get off from his grip in a desperate manner. The kicks hurts and he can only hold against them because of his adamantium skeleton.  
He keeps holding her wrist.  
"Anna!"  
She's panicking. And she won't calm down easily, Logan has seen her like this before.  
But they do not have the time now.

"I'm sorry."

So he hits her, hard, and she stumbles down, unconscious.  
Wolverine picks her up and starts running.


	2. Runaways

Wolverine ran with the woman in his arms as long as he could. Trying to hear anyone behind them and turning now and then to another direction to shake the possible pursuers off.

But those people never came after them.  
He didn't stop though, until suddenly feeling very weak.  
Cold sweat breaking, muscles losing strength and next he stumbles. Falling onto his knees and almost dropping Anna. He's out of breath.  
Putting his trembling strength onto its limits.

He tries to shake the sudden exhaustion away but it doesn't stop. What ever stuff Anna gave him, seemed to start wearing off now at a bad moment.  
Tightening his grip and keeping Anna close he started to look around. Like a wounded animal looks for a hiding spot.  
Grunting Wolverine forces himself back onto his feet with the woman, wobbling, taking shaky steps.  
He finds what he's looking for.  
It's not the best, but better than nothing as he starts to loose his focus.  
A hole under a fallen tree. The feral man pulls himself and the woman inside.

The forest, still recovering after winter, is wet and cold and the two mutants don't have the appropriate outdoor clothes. At least Anna has a full heavy guard gear when Logan only has the thin lab coat over pants and t-shirt.  
The feral man can't do anything more, not now, as he feels overly exhausted. Before completely going dark, he holds Anna tightly.

When Logan wakes up next, he's cold and shivering. And his arms are empty.  
Remembering something, someone, being held by him he groggily feels around the dirt as his vision clears up.

"You okay?" Anna's groggy voice sounds from outside the hole, her face soon peeking in.  
Calming somewhat Logan settles down.  
"Yeah", he grunts, rubbing his face. Taking a minute or more before asking. "What was the stuff you gave me?"  
"Don't know."  
"What?"  
"Sorry", she pulls away and disappears outside of the hole. Logan has no rush to get out just yet. "Needed you to move and that stuff was all I had. Gave me enough strength to escape. Thought it would do the same to you... How you feeling?"  
"Okay."  
"Tired?"  
"...Yeah."  
"Same. But I think we need to move soon. Can't say how long we were out. Plus, it's getting dark now."  
Getting the hint the feral man turns and crawls out of the hole, pulling up and sits next to Anna. The two of them stare to the distance. They are cold, shivering occasionally and have no idea where they are. But she's right, they need to move.

"You know why I lost consciousness suddenly?"  
Logan looks at Anna, seeing a colorful bruise on the side of her face. His gaze wanders away.  
"You lost it, when we were running."  
"...One of those fits?"  
"Yeah. Had to knock you down. Sorry about that."  
Before he can see the expression of hers she gets up, a bit hesitantly he notices, and keeps her back to him.  
"It's okay."

Before he can say something, she's already continuing.  
"The north is at that way. Can't say which way is to the lab, can you?"  
Sniffing the air he points out. Anna nods and continues.  
"Okay, we move to that way then, were the sun is going. I got two- One handgun, couple of clips, a wallet, flashlight, knife and cellphone. Think you can move?"  
Huffing Logan gets up, fighting through dizziness and stands straight next to Anna. He glances up to her, seeing that she's pale and tired looking. He probably doesn't look better.  
  
"Let me see that phone."  
No luck, the phone is locked up and he doesn't know any tech things. Can't call to the mansion...

They start walking, side by side. Trying to keep attention on their surroundings and keep moving despite of hunger, tiredness and cold.  
When it's starting to get too dark to move, they stop and make a small campfire. Using his claws Logan makes the sparks that ignites the material that Anna has gathered for their campfire.  
Huddling near the fire the two keep close to each other, taking off some clothes to dry them and to warm each other up.

They settle down in familiar, comforting way. Just like when ever Logan visited Anna back at the village.

He sits back against tree trunk, she is between his legs and leaning against him.  
They watch the smoking fire, most of their wet clothes  hanging from a tree branch above the fire. The two mutants wear just pants and t-shirts.  
Logan start moving hands against Anna, stroking her bare arms. Feeling every deep and shallow scar on the woman's skin with his smooth hands. She relaxes against him until lifts her hands resting on top of his, pulling his arms around her shoulders and stroking him in turn at the same manner.

Despite of the situation, the gestures and them like this is effectively calming. Taking a bit deeper breath, he nuzzles the back of Anna's shaven head. The stubble scratches his face. She relaxes further in his embrace and he lets out a soft grunt, closing his eyes.  
They'll be okay. Just need to have an open phone and he can-

"How did you find me?"  
"Hrm?"  
"At the hospital, where I was?"  
Opening his eyes Logan looks at the fire over Anna's shoulder.  
"After I woke up in a morgue-"  
She turns to look with disbelief. He chuckles.  
"Not my first one. The probably soon start charging me for rent."  
She barks out a laugh, shaking against him and he grins, hugging her tighter.  
"Auh, auh, my stomach", she whines and makes him laugh.  
After calming down, he continues.  
"So, after that, I went back to that motel you were at. Found the car. You wrecked it?"  
"Something jumped onto the road."  
"Well, I couldn't know where you were, but figured out you would be in a hospital. Started going through them, first all the nearest but-"  
"You did that? Checked through every hospital?"  
He's not sure how to take her tone. She sounds very surprised.  
"Yeah?"  
Why he wouldn't had done that?  
She was in danger. And she was in danger because of him. Victor wouldn't have come after her if it wasn't for Logan.  
As Anna didn't question more, her fingers stroking against his hairy arms, Logan kept talking.  
"Just went through every hospital near the area, and then others in Canada. Got finally lucky and found you."  
And the rest could be figured out. Not a good time to talk about it right now.  
He didn't know what they did to him nor her, not sure was she used like he had been, or something else...

Falling into silence the two sat close together near the fire. Logan sighed, thinking the situation. Thinking how to get them to the School.  
He was feeling heavy again, his mind processing only the most important needs now.  
Hungry, thirsty and cold.  
Needed to make a camp or find some warmer, dryer place. He would survive, he just needed a bit more rest and some food, hunt, and he would be better but what about Anna?  
Anna wasn't like him, not with a healing factor, not with his claws. She was pretty much a normal person, so he needed to take care of her first.  
If Logan just had a phone, he could make the call and get someone from the School to get them.

"You should sleep."  
The feral watched at Anna, who was looking over her shoulder. He frowned.  
"No, I guard, you sleep."  
"I don't need it like you do", she said back. "You could hardly stand up when I found you, _you_ need to sleep."  
"I'll be fine when my healing starts working", he growled. "I'll take the first shift, you sleep."  
Staring at each other the two mutants kept at it, neither retreating and the tension stretching.  
As the female kept glaring back, the male squinted and a rumble started to rose from his chest.  
Anna, with a frustrated huff, said: "You are like him."  
confused he asked what she meant.  
"Like Victor."  
Shock. Disgust.  
"Or you both are just typical feral males: stubborn and just need to get what  _you_  want."

Uneasiness. Logan stared at the back of Anna, she watching the fire. Swallowing uncomfortably, he unconsciously loosened his hold around her.  
"...What did he do?"  
How much was she really hurt because of him? What Sabretooth did? What made Anna compare Logan to him? Logan should had staid away, from the start, knowing that Sabretooth would find her and just do what he always did.  
Logan just never learns, does he?  
But just small part of him was hopeful, that the crazy feral had been saving things for later after taking Anna from the village.

* * *

Anna was angry. Or maybe just irritated.  
But not furious, not yet. But she could feel it, little sparks flying before threatening to burst.  
She didn't want to snap at Logan though. He was only thing she had now. Only living,  _real_  thing.  
But she couldn't stand it how he acted when he started asking about Victor.  
All cautiousness, fearing to upset her.

He was presuming things of Victor.

Logan knew enough, or she had thought so, that Anna was not one to break down when things get a little rough.  
She was not a prey and she couldn't stand it if Logan now would treat her like that.  
She didn't deserve it. She had freed him and taken him out of that place with her.

 _"Yeah, but you did thought about leaving him, when he couldn't first stand."  
_ Anna glances at the other feral man, standing on the other side of the campfire.  
Weird.  
You would think she would had stopped seeing Victor after she got out of that place. And with Logan sitting right behind her.  
But yes, she had thought about leaving Logan when it seemed he was not fit to escape. But the injected stuff had worked, she didn't need to leave him after all. So, no need to think about it.  
Victor huffs mockingly.  
_"You mean no need to think: would you had come back to him? After all, it's not like he had come for you, gone through who knows how many hospitals to find and save your sorry ass."_

...She didn't ask him to. And she didn't ask him to treat her gently. Because she didn't want it like this. Victor had not done anything to her that would turn her into a victim.  
She looked over her shoulder at Logan, scowling at the worried look he had.

"Logan, I wanna make something clear", she started, maybe with a bit cold edge but she was too irritated to think if it was wise to have that kind of tone now.  
She doesn't want to drive Logan off but she can't stand it if he will treat her all gently.  
Turning almost fully around to look at him, but the wounds preventing, she stated.

"Victor didn't do anything to me. He tried, but I snapped his neck."

Despite of her tenseness, Logan sputters out a laugh. It almost changes her stern attitude, almost.  
"Yeah, I showed him. So do not think, that he did anything that you think he did."  
The humor left Logan's eyes, curiosity and worry muddling them.  
"...What he did then?"  
Anna kept herself from turning to look at Victor as he chortled.  
_"Oh where to start!"_

Not wanting to look at Logan either and see his reaction, Anna turned her face sideways to both ferals. Guess she had suffered some mental damage in that place.  
_"You like to have me. Better me than the other one. Or nothing."  
_ "We fucked."

Logan went stiff like a wooden plank.  
She didn't look at him, closing her eyes when her gaze tried to betray her.

"...Then he did-?"  
"No. I just said, he didn't. _We_ had sex", she growls, wanting to rise up and glare down at Logan. She's not sure why is it important to make it clear that Victor did not rape her. Or hurt her much. What did it matter? He was not here with her and Logan. And she shouldn't care what Logan thought. She needed to focus to get out of this forest and into somewhere safer, where she could figure out what to do next.  
She should drop Logan in some safe place where he could get back to his home. At least Anna presumed he had a home. He never talked much about where he lived exactly.  
"So, he did not force you? Hurt you?"  
She shook her head, kept her eyes closed, then felt like a silly child and opened them. But still kept from looking at him.  
Logan let out a strange noise in his throat that she interpreted as disbelief.

"What is the deal between you two?" she changed the subject. "Why is he after you?"  
Loosening his arms more around her, he grunted tiredly.  
"It's crazy."  
"And you need to sleep."

A growl. Not like Victor's. Logan's growls are a bit lighter and round, not sharp and as deep.  
"Sabretooth is just a crazy psychopath. He somehow thinks he and I are related, and has an obsession about it. He just wants to piss me off for kicks."  
"...He did call you his brother."  
"Yeah, he does."  
Anna finally looks at him.  
"But you're not?"  
He doesn't answer and doesn't look at her.  
"Logan?"  
"...Don't know", he mutters. "Most of my memories, like I told you, are gone. The ones I think are about him, are messy. Don't know what's the truth. But he hasn't done anything else than just tried to mess with me ever since I met him. He's not to be trusted with anything."  
After a moment, Logan not talking more, Anna nodded and leaned her back against Logan. His arms rose to circle her again.  
They don't speak and after some time, Anna feels Logan taking deeper, even breaths.

Guess every feral family has their own problems. Logan however told more than she had expected, usually he was not so open about his private things.  
_"Don't you feel all special."_  
Anna glances to her side, at Victor's blurry form.  
_"Shouldn't you disappear already?"_  
_"You want me to?"_  
She can't decide should she be more concerned, that she still sees Victor and what does it mean, or that she's actually having half-conversation with him when Logan, who is real, is right behind her. And she doesn't want Victor to go away.  
So, for now, she decides to ignore not-real-Victor and focus on surroundings.  
The forest is alive around them, silently. It's not spring yet but neither is it winter, it's at the middle of the changing.

...Anna doesn't think that Victor is as crazy as Logan says. Or at least, Victor doesn't fill  _her_ requirements of being crazy.  
Victor is clever. He has a clear feeling of his surroundings and the reality. He doesn't speak to something that wasn't there and he didn't believe in weird things like a giant turtle god floating in the space. The only thing Anna could say was crazy about him, was that he had been so eager and determined to keep her. As so-called-mate.  
When she clearly didn't want to.

 _" **Didn't**  want to?"_  
"Still don't." Anna answered, out loud to her imagination, feeling Logan slightly stir behind her.  
Hugging one of Logan's arms against her chest, she stayed still until he settled back to deep sleep.

She thought about the brothers' quarrel.  
Victor clearly was bitter of something towards Logan, but it seemed that Logan didn't really know what about. And most likely Victor had done some nasty things to make Logan speak of the other feral like that.  
But why all that? Even if Victor is quick to anger, would he be so petty towards his brother?  
The question  _why_ was tempting at the back of her mind.  
But only somewhat. Anna didn't think getting meddled into others' fights was a good idea. Especially with ferals. Messy and dangerous. Raising uncomfortable feelings and memories.  
And it wouldn't help she had a connection to the both sides.

Feeling her own mind tired Anna tried to keep awake. But the warmth against her back and the arms around her, keeping her close, didn't help. She now and then closed her eyes. Listening attentively the man's breathing behind her.

And Anna decided.  
She wouldn't have left Logan there, even if he couldn't been able to move. She maybe had thought about it, but she wouldn't have done it.  
Logan doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, after going through the trouble to find her.

* * *

Neck jolting up Logan wakes and this time he's not empty handed. But he's again the last one to wake.  
"How did you sleep?"  
Half-growling and grunting the feral man stretched his neck, legs, arms and back while the woman sat between his legs.  
"How about you?"  
"Just snugly. Had a guy drooling on my back through the whole night."  
Huffing, however quickly wiping his mouth, Logan motioned her to get up.  
He noticed how gingerly she got up.  
"We need to get food", Anna says and looks at the faintly smoking campfire. Pulling down their cloths he offers hers and they dress themselves.  
"You have that gun, shouldn't be hard."  
"Would that be wise? They could hear us."  
"If they wanted to get us, I think we had noticed them already."  
She seemed to think that fact through carefully, putting on the bulletproof vest.  
"Fine. Let's keep moving to that direction."

There wasn't much of large game in the area, though what would they have done with a whole moose, but there was a lot of little critters.  
When Anna shot a hopping rabbit, she recoiled, massaging the side of her head.  
"Shit that's loud."  
"You okay?"  
"What?"  
"You, okay?"  
"Who's mocking? Me?"

It took some time for her hearing to settle. In that time they had collected the rabbit and wandered forward.  
"So what's between you two then?"  
"Between who?"  
"You and him."  
Halting Anna turned towards Logan. Opened but then closed her mouth, looking at something behind him.  
Logan glanced but didn't see anything there, turning back to her.  
"Nothing really." she answered and turned away.  
They continued walking.  
"We just had sex. And drinks. Talked shit."  
"...Doesn't sound like Sabretooth."  
"Well we did try to kill each other. Almost drowned because of that idiot."  
Logan chuckled,  _that_ one sounded more of like Sabretooth. Torturing and killing.  
"So he didn't hurt you, at all?"  
"He did that. But I like to think I paid it back with snapping his neck, cutting his arm and stabbing him."  
Shaking his head, Logan was not sure should he be worried or humored. It was really odd. But he was still strained and recovering so it was a bit hard to focus and try to understand Anna's and Sabretooth's... Situation.  
All that she said about it, with all of its brutality and bloodiness, sounded like the psycho feral but Anna talked about it so casually. And as Logan looked, she seemed almost sheepish about it. Like a schoolgirl about her crush.  
It was absurd. Then Logan remembered.  
"What happened in the village then?"  
They stopped again, Logan watching as she avoided his gaze.  
"They were killed, Anna", he told her. "They are both dead. Gary and Joseph... And Sarah?"  
"...I know."  
"Then why were you with him?"  
"I had no choice! He was saying about me being his mate, I was hurt and I was unable to run from him!"  
"He said what?"  
"A  _mate_. What the hell does that mean?! I don't want to be a fucking mate and stay in some fucking cellar!"

Logan was speechless, wide eyed while looking at the worried Anna. If Sabretooth was talking of that kind of crazy shit, this thing just got a lot more crazies. What the hell was that lunatic about mate-thing? It wasn't even a real thing! It wasn't Sabretooth's thing. Or at least Logan didn't know anyone who Sabretooth had kept as so-called mate. And didn't want to think how Sabretooth treated some mate of his.

"Shit."  
"What?" Logan snapped to look at the direction Anna was staring at, listening. He didn't hear anything, focusing more.  
"...I think that's an engine. Getting louder."  
Now, faintly, he heard it too.  
"Fuck!"  
They started running.


	3. Three ferals

Seeing the two running in the distance Victor gave more gas to the quad bike he had taken from the destroyed lab.  
He hoped he had trapped every one of those humans inside as he left the place burning down.  
And now he just needed to get his mate back and give a bit of a beating to the runt. Stealing his mate, fucking traitor!

Gaining on at the uneven ground he made an eye contact with Jimmy. It made the runt stop from running, Anna turning around and her questioning shout dying as she also noticed him.  
Getting close enough, Sabretooth jumped off from the running vehicle and stood up with a relaxed, confident pose. The quad bike without a driver went on before hitting something that made it stop.  
Hands in jacket's pockets, gaze lazily going from the ready-to-fight-runt to Anna.  
Seeing her, alive even though some unwell, had a strong effect on Victor. Mix of relief, annoyance and urge to get to her.  
But the runt was on the way with six blades all out. The runt could hurt her with those.

"How's your hiking?" Victor asked with a smile, starting to pace in front of them. He was not sure, but it did smell like Jimmy's scent was on Anna. In a freshly manner.  
It doesn't help at all the beast man's rising anger.  
He can smell clearly from Jimmy how the runt despises him but Anna... Anna's scent was a worryingly mix of anxiety and relief. She had that face of hesitation, gaze going between him and the runt.  
It should not be like that.  
She was suppose to look at _him_ , come to _him_ , and be happy that _he_ was there!

"By the way, cleaned the mess you left back at there. Did you know they had locator on you?"  
Logan stepped forward.  
"We are gonna borrow your vehicle, if you don't mind."  
"Oh? I do mind, I came to get her. And to beat you for stealing from me."  
"She's not yours bub! But I'll gladly slice you to pieces."  
Sabretooth half-laughed, pacing faster with extended claws and teeth itching. Not his to own... She was his, everything about her. That was clear and the runt had no business in it!  
Guess this is how Jimmy always feels when Victor messes up with the runt's frails, Victor can understand now how the other can be a bit bitter from all that.

"Oi!"  
Both males turned towards Anna who glared at them.  
"I'm right here. Can I have anything to say in this?"  
"Not this time bambi", he says, earning a furious and shocked look from his mate. They would talk about it later. Right now, the runt needed a lesson.

Sabretooth lunged towards Wolverine and so a fight started.

The two ferals cut deep into each other, ripping pieces and throwing each other around. The forest echoed from the vicious battle, two large predators fighting to kill each other.

* * *

Never had Anna seen two ferals fighting each other.  
And this one felt especially gory.  
It was nothing compared to hers and Victor's fighting, they jumping around and chasing each other with fast moving and quick turns.  
Logan's and Victor's fight was about colliding with teeth and claws.

She watched as Victor ripped into Logan's stomach while Logan stabbed rapidly with his claws into other's back. The two rolled on the forest floor while clawing each other.  
The heavy scent of blood was everywhere, tangy and steaming in the chilly open air.  
The sight of the fight was... Exciting, making Anna's pulse go faster.  
But it was also terrifying.  
Rooted on her place, Anna's animal side told her to run. Run away from this danger in front of her. From the violence and blood.  
Because when one dies, the standing predator will turn its attention to  _her_.

No. She refused to run. She had to stay. And she really couldn't even if wanting to, she was frozen by the shock.  
Logan slashed at Victor's chest, blood spraying. The bigger feral roared from the pain and the sound shook Anna. Her right leg took a step towards. She feeling in response as hurt as Victor sounded.  
Then, as she stood in her place, Logan was thrown across the air.  
Right onto her and the impact sent both of them to the ground.

The impact especially hurt Anna's stomach where there were bullets, sealed under the oddly fast closed skin. She withdraw, gasping for air as she hold her middle. Logan rolled onto his feet and charged back at Victor. The two beast men continued fighting as Anna tried to breath and not to puke.  
The pain however did one good thing: it snapped Anna out of her prey instincts, stopped being paralyzed.

And she was pissed. Of everything, of the impact and the pain.  
At Logan, at Victor. At the pain, those ears hurting roars, this forest, this whole place and the pain and the sounds and she wanted to make it all just  **stop!**

Anna pulled out the gun, aimed and fired.  
The first couple of shots missed, but the air piercing sounds faltered the fighting ferals for a moment and that was all she needed. First Logan and then Victor, both falling onto the ground as bullets hit their heads.  
Silence settled.

Anna cursed and swallowed and gagged. She bent over and felt like strongly needing to vomit as the pain was getting worse inside her middle. She slowly straightened and pulled up her cloths and the vest, seeing three dark spots on her skin. Darkening and widening.  
Covering the strange wounds she swallowed and looked.  
Staring at the two ferals for awhile.

Then Anna understood what exactly she had done in a sudden impulse and anger.  
The two males surely are gonna be pissed at her, when they wake up from that.

Cursing she limped to the bodies, seeing Logan just with two clean bullet holes on his head, while Vic-

...Victor doesn't die from broken neck but what if he's head is missing a piece? A big piece?  
Staring at the scattered chunks of brains, Anna was overwhelmed by worry.  
No, Victor is okay.

 _"Well that's a way to get rid off me."  
_ Gaze rose to another Victor who looked down at his dead himself.  
"He's not dead, right?" she asks, ignoring the little shaking in her voice.  
He's not dead.  
_"Can't say but I_ **think**  brains are pretty important thing about body surviving. Remember, reading all those Sarah's books? And Gary?"  
Gary's death flashed in her mind.

Gun dropping from her grasp Anna rushed to Victor's still unmoving body. She falls onto her knees and places her fingers onto his inner wrist and she waits. And waits.  
Then places her fingers to the side of his throat.  
But she feels no pulse. Didn't he quickly got his pulse back when his neck had been broken?  
"SHIT!"  
Agitated she looks Victor over, trying to think something but any first aid skills she has won't do anything for that kind of head damage.  
Gripping her head, tears rising she tries to think.  
But her mind is collapsing fast as the fear and guilt takes over.  
Did she actually kill him?  
"No."  
She couldn't have killed Victor. Not fucking now. First he's all hard to get rid off and now- No, no.  
It's hard to breath, to think. Why is it so hard to breath? Why does it hurt? Why she's feeling like this? It feels like when Sarah died but Victor is not Sarah. He's just some idiot who started harassing Anna. And wouldn't die.  
She places her hands warily on Victor's chest, giving a small shake. Then another with more force.  
"Hey, hey, puss? You- You're not d- Dead? Right?"

Not again. Not again, please, she fucked up but she didn't want this neither, not him, she didn't mean it, Victor can't die!  
Everything is suddenly in pain, around and inside as she tries to keep calm but everything just slips away through her fingers as she looks at dead Victor. His eyes murky and staring. Just like Gary's  
"COME ON!"  
She hits his chest, where the heart is. It has to beat!  
_"Oh, so you didn't want to kill me?"_  
"Shut up!"  
Victor is not dead. He's a tough bastard who won't just die because of damn bullet exploded his head!  
"Please..."  
Maybe- Maybe if she- No, she doesn't know. She doesn't know what to do. This is not a flesh wound.

Her knuckles turn white as her fingers curl Victor's shirt's cloth inside the fists. Her vision is blurring, and she blinks away the tears waiting for the bastard suddenly get up and do something stupid. Tease or something! Haahaa, she got scared and he tricked her, so fucking funny you asshole!

"Victor? Pl- I'm- I'm sorry? Please? Victor!"

* * *

The wounds on Logan's head heals, as the bullets are pushed out through the same way that they came in. The wounds first mends themselves from inside, before the surface. The bullets drop out, organic tissue knitting itself back together.  
Logan slowly comes back, with uneven jumps.  
The first thing he can sense, is some sound. Wailing.

Then aching shots through him and he groans, eyelids closing tight.  
The loud and odd sound keeps going on.  
"Shut up..." he murmurs in annoyance.  
It takes more minutes for him to be able to move, and during that time he understands, that the sound he hears is someone crying. A female. Anna?

Getting up as fast as he can in his condition, Logan turned to look.

Anna is in fetal position on her knees, next to Sabretooth, letting out sounds like a wounded animal. Her hands are on the dead feral, clutching onto his clothes.  
It is off putting to see. More so as it's Victor, who Anna is crying for.

As Logan watches, he tries to decide what to think about this disturbing and weird scene. If it would be anyone else than Victor, Logan wouldn't be disturbed by it.  
But he can't deny what he's witnessing.  
...They better get away than to stay when Sabretooth starts to heal himself. At least Anna needs to get away.

"Anna", Logan says but do to her crying she doesn't hear nor react. It pains to see her like that.  
"ANNA."  
The woman halts, but doesn't look at him.  
Logan hesitates before telling.  
"He's not dead."  
"...How- How you know?" she chokes.  
He snorts.  
"He's been beheaded, burned, crushed and lot of other things. He won't die from a bullet. Otherwise, I also would be dead already."  
"...Even though half of his brains is missing?"  
He can't believe he's trying to calm down someone from believing that Victor is dead. This is absurd!  
"It's not a problem."  
Anna sits up, and Logan notices one of her hands still holding onto Sabretooth's jacket.  
  
With awkward silence Logan gets up, walking towards her and the body, then kneels down next to the dead feral.  
"What are you doing?" Anna asks as Logan starts moving his hands on Victor.  
"Searching for a phone. We need to get away fast before he wakes up. He's gonna be cranky."  
"We?"  
He stops as he looks with even gaze, though she tries to hide her wet face and red eyes from him.  
"You wanna stay with him?"  
She doesn't answer.  
"...How cranky is he gonna be?"  
"He's not gonna hold back at anything."  
"...Okay... I'll... Come with you."  
  
Logan is relieved, finding Victor's phone. It doesn't have a lock but considering whose phone it is, it's not that surprising. Not many have the stupidity to touch the Sabretooth's property nor survive from the mistake.  
But Wolverine doesn't care, dialing the number of the School.

Standing up and waiting for someone to answer, he glances at Anna's hand still holding onto Victor. It makes Logan almost sick and he looks away, trying not to see it.  
This whole thing is fucked up.


	4. Broken and crooked things

Something is there, with Anna.  
Right behind her.

Staying absolutely still she listened. But even though she could sense it, she couldn't really hear it. No breathing nor even a heartbeat. Nothing, no matter how much she tried.  
But it was there. She knew it. She was sensing it.  
Its gaze pouring down at her as it stood behind. Hair on her neck standing up.  
And then, when it finally made a sound, a whole sentence, it was far more terrifying than it just being there.

 ** _You left him._**  
  
Its pressing presence felt suddenly far more closer than before. It sent Anna's heart and instincts into flee, she following after them.  
Forcing onto her feet Anna dashed forward, sensing  _it_ running after her.  
Like in the forest. What was this? Was this a nightmare?

**_You just left him there!_ **

Her hell? Father haunting her yet again?

 ** _With brains scattered all around._  ** _**Eyes lifeless, without that smirk.** _

The voice was so full of anger. Booming like a gunshot, hurting her.

A frightened deer ran, pushing herself forward to get away from the following danger. She bolted, vision tunneling, and her ears strained to listen the predator behind but not hearing its voice anymore. But it was there, coming after her. It was maddening. Sense and yet not sense it.  
Was she mad?

Fear filled her, like water poured into an empty vessel. Her heart almost bursting.  
She was not able to stop and turn to see what it was that hunted her.  
But did she want to stop and know?  
Was she brave enough to face it, whatever it was that followed her?

What did it want with her?

Could she force herself, push away the instincts of a prey and stand her ground against the chasing unknown?

Jumping Anna woke up.  
She shook under warmth and softness.  
Gaze wild she looked at the unknown surrounding. She is inside a room, which had one wall made from glass. She didn't see anyone through it, on the hallway that spread to sides.  
Was this the laboratory again?  
Did they get caught?! She should had not shoot Victor!

 _"_ _Yeaaaah, that was a_ _ **stupid**_ _move."_  
Anna's wide eyes settled on Victor, leaning against a concrete wall next to her bed, arms crossed. He smiled down at her.  
_"Slept well?"_  
...She could hear his voice inside her head. He was not real. He was not... Real Victor.  
_"Hey, I'm as real as you make me!"_  
Anna turned to her other side, grimacing from pain on her middle, staring now at a white wall. This place seemed very much like the laboratory.  
_"Aaw, is that a way to treat your savior?"_  
She flinched from the sound of fingers snapping.  
_"Oh no, my bad. How we reward saviors is by shooting their heads into a mush. Bang, bang!"  
_ She was not going crazy. Not now. She needed to get her head straight.  
_"Speaking of heads,_   _do you think it had gone enough time for me to get my..._ _ **Head, back together**_ _?"_  
"God that's awful."

"What is, miss?"

Turning around Anna had not excepted to see a giant furry blue beast on two legs and in clothes. She stared at the odd creature.  
_"Hey, eyes up, not down."_  
"…Who are you?"  
"I'm doctor Hank McCoy, miss. You are in X-men's care, so please, do not be alarmed. We are friends of Logan."

* * *

Walking on fast pace towards the lab and infirmary Wolverine was a bit grumpy. He had been woken by Hank's call.  
But Logan had told to be informed right away when Anna would wake up.  
He was worried how she would react to where she had been placed at. But after what she did, he really couldn't say no to others.  
He was gladly at fault when walking into their holding and surveillance cells.  
Anna was calmly sitting on a bed, cross-legged, and Hank was standing near the glass, talking through its small holes to her.

"-there's not much physical evidences about them-"  
"Hey, what we talking about?"  
"Ah, hello Logan. Miss Anna asked about ferals and their phenomenon about mates."  
Logan looked at Anna. He was met with steady gaze, almost too even.

Hank continued.

"As I was saying, miss Anna, there really isn't much proved, hard evidences. Merely theories and rumors."  
"So what can you tell me?"  
"Krhm, even as there has been some rumors about this kind of mate thing, it is not very prevalent among ferals. But, we must take in account, that every feral has a different kind of level at their mutation, how deeply they affect us in physical and mental level. Some are more animalistic than others, in both or either body and mind."  
"Seems logical." she commented: "There are lots of different animals, so of course mutant ferals too would have wide differences among them."  
"Precisely miss."  
"But if we would say… This kind of mate thing happens to a feral, what would that mean to her?"

Logan didn't like this subject, listening with a glare but Hank didn't notice.

"Well, if we go with the science here, and filter with it the rumors, and thing about a feral with the instincts of an animal, we could say that in the average situation, mates, a female and a male, would feel appeal towards each other like humans would. But with ferals we could presume that the more time they are in each other's presence, the so-called-bond could become quickly stronger than between humans."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Ah, psychical changes that would affect into physicality. Maybe like what happens with addiction: brains starting to adjust to the positive effect that the other one has, hormones, that make us feel good, increasing and with that, would come the anxiety if the other one leaves their presence because of the sudden decrease in the hormone levels."  
"How bad anxiety?"  
"As we don't have any researches, I really can't say. But… With rumors… It depends on the person. Their mutation, physical and mental healthiness, their past and mostly of it about relationships and social growing-"  
"So it is real, the mate thing?"  
"Well I never sai-"

"But what if it is?" Anna rose from the bed, walked to the glass wall and densely looked at the doctor.  
"What if it would be true, how would the person be cured from it?"

* * *

Somewhere, deep in the woods, rose the sound of a suffering animal.  
Inhuman sounds, roars and shrieks, echoing between the trees.

Victor was in earthly purgatory, coming back to life in long and short jerks or shakes. Like zapping a dead one, its cells reacting, going on and off.  
As in small parts, his brains, skull, skin and meat and veins and nerves assembled themselves back together.

Rolling on the cold forest dirt Sabretooth had no sense of anything else but that he was suffering, and he wanted it just to end.

The damage that Anna's action had caused to the brain was complicated and deep. It would take a lot of time, pain and energy. After it would be done, Victor would be unable to move normally or without difficulties. But this was not his first time to come back alive, nor the worst situation.  
Even so, just like everyone else, Victor didn't like pain. Didn't like this Hell's purgatory.

It burned through him like a wildfire in a forest leaving only smoldering, blackened and hardened things.

Sabretooth would be far more than just furious when he would be able to move.

* * *

Left alone, Logan and Anna stood on the opposite sites of the glass wall, Hank taken some blood samples of her into the lab.  
"…Want to talk about it?"  
She put down the hem of the shirt, covering her bandaged stomach. The bullets had been removed when she had been unconscious.  
Anna didn't look at Logan when asking.  
"About what, Logan?"  
"Pretty much everything", he walked to a chair in the hallway and drag it closer to the glass wall. He sat down.  
"You demanded to know about the mate thing, and if there's a cure for it... You were with Victor for months-"  
"He didn't rape me. He did nothing wrong."  
Looking at her sitting down on the bed, face towards him, he continued after a moment.

"And when we were getting into safety, you lost your mind."  
"What? What I did?"  
"You attacked my teammates, Anna. First you were saying `help´, and then `I left him´ and you `need to go back´. And when we tried to stop you, you started attacking us."  
"…Did I hurt anyone?"  
"Ororo has a broken leg. Peter is fine. And me, well-"  
"I'm sorry."  
The smile, going to make a joke, faded as he heard her voice. Trembling. She hunched, hands rising behind her neck as her face was downwards.  
"I'm sorry, Logan", she said, taking a deep breath. "...I fuck everything up."

"It's not your fault."  
"How is it not?" she spat, raising her tearful gaze. "I shot you and him, Logan. I shot Gary, I shot Joseph!"  
Standing up, Anna started walking around the room and Logan watched her venting out.  
"I just kill! And I know it is wrong, I know. A normal human being would know that killing is wrong and wouldn't do that, they would rather try to safe others!"  
"You saved me", Logan cut in. Her rose and started putting the code into the console. "You could have left me, but didn't, Anna."  
The door opened and he walked in, towards the listening, crying and restless woman. He didn't need any powers to sense her stress.  
"You have killed, but you show remorse."  
She maybe killed Gary and Joseph, maybe. Logan was not sure as Anna was acting like this now. And if she really did, there surely was a reason for the killings.  
"It still doesn't make the killings right nor undone", she muttered, folding her arms and looking away from him, as he stood right in front of her.  
She was hardly holding herself together, Logan seeing how she was breathing heavily, teeth clenching and eyes watering. Her voice strained and cracking.  
"It- It doesn't..."  
"Maybe. But do you think, you are the only one that has done those kind of mistakes?"

How many had Logan killed? How many, as the decades has passed? Killing is what he's good at, with couple of other things, but he knew he would never have a normal life with what he is and what he has done. With immortality, morals easily turn into grey. The edges getting blurry.  
And Logan most likely would kill more with centuries going by. He wouldn't stop killing, he was not sure could he, as there was always some reason to do that. Whatever he wanted or not.  
Defending or attacking, because he wanted, needed or was forced to.  
Simplifying, killing is bad. But rarely things are that simple when it comes to that kind of things in real life and in real situations.  
Like with Jean...

Looking at Anna, Logan could see that she was as troubled as he has been. Still was sometimes. And maybe he, and the X-men, could help her as they had helped him. Maybe. Logan would talk to others. Anna hadn't given the best first impression, but they would understand.  
Anna has lost everything, her home and her family. She had been tormented by Sabretooth, twisted into believing things like mates and that whatever Victor did to her was okay. She just needed time to see that she was safe here with them, and they wouldn't judge her.  
  
Logan and others... They could give Anna a place to call home, a chance get better.  
Maybe it wouldn't work, of course not wholly as these kind of things never really got entirely fixed.  
But as her friend, Logan was ready to try and help Anna.

"You don't need to answer right now", Logan started. "But what are you gonna do? We can help you, you can stay with us. We can help to fix the situation at the village, and with Sabretooth."  
Sniffing, Anna looked at Logan with doubtfulness and confusion.  
"Why would you? I murdered people there, they'll find me guilty. I am guilty, Logan."  
"Well, what happened then? I'll listen."  
And so Anna told, about Sarah, then what happened with Joseph and how it escalated to Gary's death.  
Anna was surprised, how Logan didn't seem... Judgmental.  
Rather, he just listened to her until the end.  
"...Sounds to me what happened with Joseph was accident", he said, but Anna disagreed with him, although she didn't say it out loud.  
"And with Gary, you were protecting yourself. He and others were after you with weapons, right? And he jumped on you?"

Anna nodded after a hesitation.

"Okay. It wasn't your fault, it was a shitty series of bad situations."

...He was so easy to believe her that Anna did feel bad.  
Logan was a good person. Really.  
He had come to help her, and now was offering help yet again. And believing her without any doubt nor judging her.  
Not asking was there more those who Anna had killed. And did she regret those killings.

But what else Anna could do now, as she was alone in here, in this strange place? Nowhere else to go? She was afraid what would happen if she would tell the whole truth. That she had killed mutants in the village for years.  
If she would tell the truth wholly, Anna was sure Logan would change his attitude and accuse her. And other X-men would do the same, giving her to the police and she would be captured.  
And then... Something would happen to her. Prison? Maybe, but what kind of? How long? Or maybe a lab again? No.  
She didn't want that, not any of those.  
She wanted to survive. Even if by lying to Logan.  
Though, she had lied to Gary and Sarah too for years. It wouldn't be that much difference. She just needed to keep calm and be careful.

"So, what will happen?" she asked, wiping her face and taking couple of more deep breaths.  
"We'll wait for couple of weeks for you to get better. Then, we'll start figuring this out."

A large, familiar hand placing on her head made Anna look up at Logan in surprise. She felt a sudden flutter as he smiled to her.  
"Don't worry."

* * *

"Hank", Logan muttered, trailing to the lab while rubbing his messy hair. Anna had finally fallen to sleep and hopefully she would stay that way for couple of hours.  
"Hello Logan. She alright there?" the blue furred one questioned while writing something down.  
"No", the feral man grunted to the doctor, slumping down to a chair. "Did yah find anything from the samples?"  
"Yes, though I didn't yet get all the results."

Putting down the pen, Hank turned around on his chair, bringing hands together as his elbows rested on his thighs.

"Well? Hit me fur ball."  
"Krhm, her levels were high. She is suffering from amnesia and other things that will fix up as she gets fed and sleep properly. Also, I think she should be kept isolated from others for some time, a week for now. She clearly has suffered traumas with Sabretooth and at the lab."  
"You  _think_?"  
" _And_  I think I can theories what they were to you in the facility."  
"Spill it out."  
"As they only seemed to take samples from you and do tests on her, and what the samples from her have shown... I think they were trying to see, could they manipulate Anna to go through secondary mutation."  
"What, like you?"  
"Yes, although mine was more of an accident. They were trying to force it happening in her."  
Mimicking Hank's pose Logan asked.  
"Did they do it?"

"I think they succeeded. I noticed there being some straining in her cells, most likely for her body getting used to the power. Say, how was her healing before all this, can you tell?"  
"...Nothing abnormal, I guess", Logan said, understanding it. Hoping he was wrong. "They gave her a healing ability?"  
"No no, it seems she _already_ had it. A weak one, though stronger than a normal human. But whatever they did in the facility, it triggered her secondary mutation. Seems it increased her ability to heal, as you could see from the bullet holes. I'm not sure will that be it all, if there's some other effects, before rest of the results are finished and-"

"How powerful will it be? Is she gonna be like me?"  
And like us, him and Sabretooth. Immortal.  
When Hank said it could be possible, Logan stood up. Scratching his hair furiously. Feeling even more guilty, thinking Anna's situation that had had caused.  
"Fuck", he muttered, walking back and forth.  
She would be unable to die then, right? Just keep going like him and Victor.  
"Fuck!"  
Logan kicked a chair, earning a glare from the doc but he didn't care now.  
  
"Can it be reversed?"  
"Maybe", Hank said, thinking. "But very unlikely. It would be fatal to try-"  
Logan roared in anger.

* * *

At the occupied holding cell, Anna laid still on the floor against the glass wall.  
Listening Logan and Hank talking in the lab.

Taking a shaky breath, she felt tears coming and she blinked. Took a deep breath. Hand over her heart clenching.  
Feeling another wave of need to cry, void inside pulling her harder into the depression.  
So, was she gonna be immortal now, then?  
Like Logan and Victor?  
Unable to die? Undying?

A joyless spurt of laugh, choked by a inhale of sorrow.  
That would be scary. She doesn't want to live forever.  
She doesn't want to.  
No.  
No fucking way, she didn't want that. She was going to die one day, in years and not in centuries. That was her decision to be made!

Turning onto her side and pulling into fatal position, Anna breathed sharply. She had no strength to keep from crying nor go back to bed.  
It only made things worst that she was alone with her thoughts, which circled around her like vultures.  
She was angry. And sad. But really, really angry.  
At Victor. How the hell could he, he brought her into that hospital, that piece of-  
She should have not shot him.  
She would be with him now, if she wouldn't have done it. Not here, listening this bullshit.  
She wanted Victor there with her, now.

Immortality. The word felt very desolating.  
Anna wanted to hear Victor making a joke about it. Say it wouldn't be bad, or that the blue furry guy was wrong.  
But the Victor in the cell, sitting on the floor next to her, was silent.


	5. Bleed and tear

"So, how would you describe it? What was the first thing that told you that something was… Abnormal?"  
Hank watched closely at Anna who was wearing these little censors. Those were attached to machines which showed readings like her heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity and so on.

Glancing at the screens, scribbling down notes, he turned back to thinking Anna.

This would be in its own way auspicious opportunity to investigate a possible feral mate bond closely. See if it really existed, but the situation was rather troubled.  
Severely, you could say, putting the research in questionable light.  
The woman seemed to have some mental issues, that were declined to be talked about with a threat of her closing in. And she had about half-week ago been unethically examined in a shady laboratory and before that, she had been abducted by Sabretooth for some time.

Taking it all into consideration, Hank was very much worried for the woman's mental health. Sabretooth's methods to torture his victims could be very inhuman and terrifyingly intelligent as also effective.

And what Anna's questions and behavior, as also what Logan would tell, were suggesting, it was even more alarming that what had happened between the woman and the psychopathic man. It seemed she was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, saying she had not suffered at Sabretooth's hands.  
That, and the others previously mentioned problems, very much undermined the argument of Victor's about the bond between him and Anna.  
However, the woman was not mentioning Sabretooth, not directly, and it seemed she was determined to understand her disorders' connection to him.  
So, Hank was playing with her for now and avoided from mentioning Sabretooth by name or directly indicating to him. And figuring out this  _mate thing_.  
It seemed to be the right approach for now at helping her get better.

"It was like… I started thinking in illogical way, and yet I knew it was so", Anna finally answered.  
Hank watched her, giving her time to explain more of her answer, her gaze downcast.  
"Like I was in half. I knew Logan's friend would take us into safety, I trust him, but at the same time I started thinking that what if they were not people to be trusted. What if they would take us into another lab, a bad one? I felt... Worried, and also started to feel guilty."  
"Guilty?"  
"…About shooting him."  
"Logan?"  
"No… Well, yes. But also the other."  
Oh my. Well…  
"Why, hm, why do you think you shot them, then? Because they were fighting?"  
"I guess. Though, at the same time I wanted to leave and just run, but I froze. It- It happens, sometimes", she muttered the rest with bitter taste and Hank put that on the notes to talk about the phenomenon later. But for now, leave it be.  
"And what made you to pull the gun? Can you tell? Was it some thought or-"  
"It was the pain. Logan was thrown to me and it hurt, the bullets in me, and it made me angry. And then I couldn't control it, I just wanted to everything stop and they were **ripping** each other to pieces and there was organs and blood everywhere as they **still** kept fighting and-"  
"It is okay. Anna, stop and take a breath."

Considering she had told about hearing well, Hank held from writing down for a moment in case the pen scraping the paper would irritate her.  
"So maybe it was stress, that made you pull the gun? The pain was just inciting the action?" he questioned after Anna had stopped from taking deep breaths and the machines showed the stress level decreasing.  
She nodded.  
  
He could understand that, she probably being afraid and in pain, two ferals showing extreme violence in front of her.  
Though she chose to solve the problem with more violence, shooting the two with effective results, than just run away even though she had considered it but then decided against it. Fighting against instincts, Hank could understand the struggle with those. He sometimes had difficulties to calm his inner beast.  
Though Anna's instincts seemed to want to keep her safe by _running away_ , not fighting like she had decided to do in the end.  
She showed having clear opinion about doing the opposite than act forward.

"When you and Logan were approaching the airplane", he started, pondering how to form his question. "Was it same as in the forest? You thought one thing, but as your stress increased, you decided other, being in half with your thoughts, not clearly deciding?"  
"…I guess so? I felt guiltiness, but I knew going back would be bad because Logan told me he would be pissed off."  
"…The other one?" it was hard to talk about person without really using the name, but it would be like this for now.  
She nodded.  
"But I still wanted to go back. He... I thought about that he maybe would be in a lot of pain-"  
At this comment, Hank unwittingly sneered. Personally, Sabretooth deserved to suffer every kind of pain and even more than that.  
"-alone and he had come for me when I had been in a same situation."  
"…Really?"  
Sabretooth had saved her? Not unthinkable, if he wanted to keep her alive for his own twisted.  
But the curious side, intrigued by the small possibility of the feral mate thing, wondered that  _what if_ Sabretooth saved Anna because of less vicious reasons?

"I, I messed up things... In my village. Badly", Anna explained, pulling her hands into fists. The machines showed spikes on her levels, increasing quickly.  
Hank hurried to calm her.  
"Anna-"  
"I just destroyed it all", she continued, lifting her gaze to him.  
And Hank froze from thick intensiveness of them. The strong emotions hiding in them as the rest of Anna tried to keep calm. Tempest under the sea. Pushing onto to the surface.  
"I knew… I was making mistake, but I couldn't stop myself. A predator waits for opportunity than just blindly attacks, I knew this. But I wanted to murder him for killing her. I couldn't save mother, but I should had been strong enough to protect Sarah. I know I was strong enough, if I _just_ had been more careful! She didn't deserve to die like that."  
A cry broke from the woman who took a deep breath, determined to get her thoughts out, she bend forward. Hands gripping onto her knees.

But still keeping that gaze on him, showing the deep, oozing scar that made Hank feel deep sympathy towards the woman.  
Steeling himself to hear her out, as she desperately wanted to tell.

"And when Joseph tried to stop me, I wanted him out of the way, in any way possible. I was angry at him. At everyone. They  _did nothing._  Not when father was alive and not when Sarah was hit by that goddamn fucker! But when I wanted _justice_ , do what had to be done, I was the monster? I was the one to be hunted down and not some sicko who fucking ate humans and treated his kid like a lowlife with no rights for safety and care?! I'm good enough for anyone!? I have  _no_ value? Who the fuck they thought they were!? I fought to keep everyone safe from another monster like him, killed everyone who was potential, and when I want to be selfish, _I_ have to hide and run?!"

Anna gasped for breath, silently crying as the machines showed her obvious high stress.  
And then suddenly they throb considerably.

"…But he came for me", Anna whispered. "I tried to kill him, and he wouldn't die. He left but he came back. He never judged me but just… He… He's a fucking arrogant and bossy, makes stupid puns. He is…"

The woman took a shaky breath, wiping her tears and collecting herself, leaving Hank with more questions and worries. Sabretooth was what? What she wanted to say?

"...What happened at the plane, happened before. Usually me just… Freezing unless I broke from it. But… When we were together, I… Was overwhelmed with something. And it scared me. But I couldn't stop from being with him. I just kinda froze and my mind was in half… I was thinking and acting in conflicting manner… I knew I should have left. Keep trying to escape. But I didn't… Want to. He got angry and I didn't know what I wanted. Would that be cause of the mate thing, doctor?"

It could have been because of many things, Hank thought sadly.  
She was… How would he say it… Anna was deeply hurt one? Traumatized and unhealed. She had paranoid thoughts of others around her, she felt attacked all the time and the vision of herself was distorted. And trying not to suffer from those problems, she was collecting more problems on top of each other until it was like a swaying tower of dishes. Waiting for the last cup to be placed on top, and then it would all collapse and shatter.

As this was the truth, it would be maybe impossible to decide was her disorders towards Sabretooth from some mental problems or from the so-called mate thing that hasn't even been proved. Most likely, the answer was the first one.  
Thinking the possibility of Sabretooth convincing Anna being his mate was-

"Do not, pity me, Hank."

* * *

She hated that look. Despised it.  
She was not one to be pitied, she didn't want that. Pity was for those who were too weak to protect themselves.  
"I... Like you. Respect", despite being a mutant feral, Hank was very calm and logical person which Anna appreciated greatly, "And I don't want that to change because you pity me."  
"I do not pity you", the furred man answered matter-of-factly, earning skeptical look from her.  
"I'm just sorry you had to suffer many horrible things, that clearly affect you strongly in the present."  
He… Wasn't wrong. But it still stung, and Anna heard one of the machines peep, seeing Hank's glance. Were these machines even telling anything helpful?  
"What is your conclusion, doctor?"

It was quiet between the two for a while, and every second Anna started to get nervous. Irritated. Regretting for asking Hank's help and telling him things that-  
Wait.  
A realization, of what Anna had said a moment ago. Something really bad.  
  
She had told Hank... About the murders. She confessed for killing people, hadn't she?  
She told the truth that she has been killing people for-  
As the machines started to make more intense noise, Anna started taking the stupid things off from her, ignoring Hank who tried to stop her from ripping them off. He didn't intervene strongly as she kept taking the things off. He just turned off the machines and Anna was glad for that.  
And deeply scared of what was the man now thinking.

"I think", Hank started, and Anna stared at him with rigid face. Heart thundering. How stupid she had been, she confessed to Hank and now-  
"That you do need help, and I believe we can provide that for you, Anna. And what comes for the mate thing and other one… I think it is not what we thought about. Just some… A strong cognitive phenomenon that feeds itself from your traumas. I'm sure that with time you'll get over it. Sabretooth can't come here, we keep everyone safe in here."

Anna blinked. Stared.  
Had Hank not understood, that Anna had given a confession? Not to those that the police was accusing of her, well actually yes she had to those too, but also to others that nobody knew of?  
The relief came in small waves, and Anna felt she could move her body, breath a lot more calmly as Hank stared at her. Not showing any kind of disgust nor judging. No realization of what she had said.  
However, she was not satisfied with the answer about the mate thing. Anna had wished, that Hank could maybe do some kind of medicine for her and she would… Feel much clear headed what came to Victor.  
Just thinking the name caused her feel conflicted. Knowing and feeling differently.  
Wondering was he still there in the forest. Was he still in pain?  
"And what about my freezing states, or what happened at the plane?" she tried to keep Hank and herself distracted.  
Hank seemed to think about it carefully, as she observed.  
Whenever he does that, he takes short breaks and mostly doesn't look at her before having an answer that he was happy with.

"Well, I can theories… That, that considering your mutation level, and mentality, and what has been theorized, I would say it is a feral thing."  
Hank started to move things, reading the machines to collect their data, his notepad laying on the chair he had sat on.  
Trying secretly see what he had written, Anna however couldn't do that from her chair, sitting and listening to him. He had not wrote down everything she had said, right? He couldn't had...

"Some ferals can be more animalistic than others, as we have already discussed. Some have the mentality of a feral and others are more human. But with stronger, primitive instincts, it can be possible that a feral person will suffer in one way… Almost like a separated personality, but not exactly like that. After all, humans are strongly feeling and yet very intelligent animals. So of course, we sometimes great complexity with what we want and what we need, how we think and how we feel. I think your more animal like side collides with your human thinking, and so creating this locking mechanism in you. Your animal side sees safety at fleeing as your more human side wants to act the opposite."

Anna nodded.  
"Did I explain it too difficultly?" Hank asked but Anna shook her head.  
"No, I just… Thinking, that's all. Thank you, Hank. I'm sorry for all the trouble."  
"It is all right Anna. We have dealt with a lot of troubled people who have the power to destroy cities and planets. With mutations it is just a little bit harder to deal with psychical problems."  
Anna nodded, still looking closely at the feral man, if he showed any signs of hiding something. She was still worried that he knew. Or would remember and then know.  
The feral woman cursed her stupidity in the moment of weakness. Now she needed to think what to do, if Hank would figure it out.  
She could lie if he would understand what she said. That she had meant the driver who killed Sarah. Or Jacob. Yes, that could work.  
She can hide the truth if she just keeps calm and ready to react if it comes to that.

This was just like in the village with everyone, lie and cover up and she will survive.

"How was the testing?" Logan asked while bringing Anna food on a tray. They still kept her in the glass cell and oddly enough, she liked it. Considering this place is mainly a school for mutants, which means there's a lot of them out there, she was not eager to get out from the underground. Just thinking about being constantly surrounded by mutants… She preferred this more quiet place.  
Even if everyone had said she was safe in this place, strong part of Anna was not agreeing.  
Plus, staying down here in isolation gave her a lot of time to think and calm down, processing things. Plan out and ready herself.

"Not what I've expected, but he did give me some answers", she got up from the bed, walking to the opening door and taking the tray.  
"How is it going up there?"  
"Same as usual", Logan answered, dragging a chair into the cell for her to sit on and eat. Anna however just sat down on the floor cross-legged and started eating, so he took the seat.  
"Pups causing trouble with their hormones and powers, who likes who, who should be the strongest, some idiot trying to take over the world, X-men needed to take care of it, a new kid coming and so and so  ** _on_**."  
"Wow, and you made it seem hard to be a gym teacher before. No wonder you take long vacations."  
" ** _Hell yes_** , staying in here too long and I might just pop my own head to have couple of minutes of sweet death silence."  
Anna watched with amusement as Logan noticed what he said and looked at her, worried. But she wasn't bothered by the joke.

"If you need someone to knock your lights out, I have some experience. Either by kicking or shooting."  
"Hmm, tempting", Logan's smirk returned. "But I have an inner helmet that greatly would diminish the damage."  
"I'll take a drill and put a small dynamite in the hole? I can figure it out, just give me some time and tools."

They chuckled for their dark humor as she continued eating the food.

"…You know."  
She looked at him.  
"You can come up and eat with other people or just with me. Or be at outside, if you want."  
"No, I'm satisfied for now with this."  
"With white walls, one bed, open toilet and everyone seeing you all the time?"  
"I'm actually minimalist. All those stuff in my home was… Sarah's doing."  
"The overstuffed bed too?"  
"Oh no, that was all me. Nothing beats up a nice, soft and biiiig bed that you can just lay in."  
"Hrm, we can't bring one down here, but…"  
"…Yeah?"

"...Nothing", he dismissed and she nodded, eating before Logan added: "But if you get sick of being here, you do know you can walk freely outside?"  
"Hmmm, I did like that small forest you had at the back there. Could take walks there."  
"Just warn one of us and we'll just turn off the training machines."  
"Okay. Actually, it would be fun to test those sometime."  
A smirk grew on Logan's face.  
Anna blinked, disturbed for a second by his smile.  
She had never looked closely and observed siblings, but it was well known siblings do share some similarities... There was something between the brother's but Logan's smile was not so-  
"We can test those things sometime. Have a bit of a race?"  
"Can we?"  
"Sure. Though I would need to go easy on you. You're still recovering and I have home field advantage", Logan smugly said while placing hands behind his head.  
"Cocky bastard..."  
"What was that?"  
"That it sounds fun", she said extra peppy, both ferals knowing what really was said, smirking at each other.  
"Sure thing  _Annabelle_ , can't wait for that."  
"Me too, little  _Wolfie_."  
"...Fuck you."  
"Nah, too busy eat **fhing** ", she answered while stuffing her mouth full of food.  
All in good humor between friends.


	6. Approaching predator

Things seemed good after that, for Logan at least. Anna seemed like herself.  
With her it was mostly fun, relaxation, training, or they goofing off like they used to when he visited her in the village. Sometimes they did nothing, relaxing in silence or talked shit and one time they ended into his room. He teased her afterwards many times, as after that one time she ended sleeping in his comfy bed every night.  
It eased his mind that she no more kept down at the holding cell.  
Just needed her to start seeing people too…  
With Hank's evaluation and Storm's approval, they didn't see Anna as a big threat, as she didn't seem as unstable as at the beginning. Though she was closely watched. And knowing that Sabretooth was probably on the move, they kept security high alert.  
But with two weeks gone, Storm and Hank wondered if Sabretooth had given up as Anna was now with them.

But Logan didn't take the risk. He knew that the feral man would wait as long as needed, when hunting.  
It would take more time for him to give up, and even then if having the opportunity, he surely wouldn't hesitate to finish Anna.

As Logan worried, he was also hopeful towards his friend. She talk about Victor, and she talked regular with Hank who always seemed more and more disturbed and saddened by whatever she told him about. But the furball wouldn't tell Logan when asked, nor Storm, saying it was against some bullshit patient policy.  
She also didn't talk about the session, much solemn and thoughtful after those for some time before snapping out of it.

Logan understood that she didn't want to tell everything to everyone but… She trusted him, right?  
Maybe if Charles were still alive, Anna would be better more quickly…  
Sometimes in his dreams it wasn't just Rouge that was destroyed by Sabretooth, but now Anna was also in those. And Wolverine was unable to do anything to stop those tortures.

And it didn't help to know, that she was in danger because of her connection to him. He really couldn't fucking help it, always things ending with Sabretooth using others against him.

Waking up from luckily dreamless sleeping this time, the feral man grunted, hearing an irritating peeping.  
Deciding to ignore it he pulled the warm, naked body more tightly against him, burying his face into the Anna's bare shoulder.  
"Logan", she muttered, tapping his hand on her stomach. "Make it stop."  
"It'll die soon."  
"Now."

Growling he took a moment to start moving. And start his struggle through the many blankets and pillows, that had brought into his room to turn his bed into a fucking comfy sea. He was fucking spoiling the frail, even if he kinda liked this surrounding softness and warmness.  
But it was a hell to resurface from it in the morning.

"Pfth- Shitty- Fu-"  
"What's wrong?" Anna mumbled, turning under one of the blankets and eyes barely opening, covering her ears from the alarm and Logan's struggles.  
"These fucking blankets- I'll- Woah!"  
Hearing a body tumbling onto floor, she figured he solved it, especially when the phone's alarm went off.  
"There you go boy", she sighed, turning around and burying her head into a pillow.  
"Yeah yeah", Logan snarled and picked his phone from the night stand, shutting the thing. Sitting on the cold floor made him want to climb back in.  
And he did just that.  
He could skip the shower and breakfast before going to teach a class. It was one of those were he just was and talked to them anyway.

Diving back under the blankets and pillows, he laid down next to Anna, instinctively pulling her against him.  
She let out a small whining which made him chuckle. He blew cold air onto her neck, making her tense her shoulders in her sleep.  
"Stop that Victor."

Staring in confusion, her soft way saying that slowly registering to him, Logan frowned.  
Letting go of Anna he pulled away and sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his thighs and looking down at the floor.  
Remembering her crying over Sabretooth when she thought he was really dead.

…He really didn't know what to think about that. And could not think about the odd things she did or said coming from her connection to Sabretooth.  
Calling Logan a puss for example. Or asking with suspicious sometimes did he tell a pun, if he said something complex. Or asking did he purr.

She said, she didn't love Victor.

And Logan wanted to believe her. It was hard to imagine someone feeling like that of that psychopath. After everything he has done. What he was.  
…Logan felt sick, grimacing from the thought of those two… It was wrong. So wrong. She just… She just needed to get better and she would snap out of whatever it was with Sabretooth like Hank had said.

* * *

When Anna woke up later, noticing Logan already gone, she lazily stretched and enjoyed of the fuzzy feeling.  
She had no schedule today, no talking to Hank, no doing some chores with Logan or attend some class where she would just observe staying away from others. Those, where she had to come in some kind of contact with other mutants, were annoying.  
She couldn't relax at all, listening and watching everything someone did, she anxiously waiting them attack her or do something equally bad.  
And these were kids damn it, she shouldn't be so afraid of them! But then she had learned how much different and stronger mutation there was in some of these children… She wanted quickly something sharp or shooting for her own safety.  
But if she would ask or get caught with a weapon, they would just see her crazier.  
She was happy to stay away from them, and just spent time with Logan, or Hank.

But as Logan asked and Hank explained, something about socializing, she did what she was asked to.  
After all, they let her stay here and give her food, clothes and all that…

Huffing, now irritated and wide awake, Anna got out of the bed. Walking to the table and opening the notebook where she wrote her plans. Thinking where she would go and what to do.  
She liked mostly of the idea of her just settling into some other nameless place. Or abandoned cabin where she would live alone, independently. Logan visiting sometimes. And maybe Hank, he had shown so far that he was trustworthy. It was enjoyable to listen his explanation and ramblings about science stuff at his workplace.  
...She toyed with the thought of Victor also visiting her, but she quickly pushed it away from her mind. Knowing that it would be a bad idea.

Looking at ripped map page of place that she had talked about to Logan, she turned away and started walking to the small bathroom, scratching her short hair.  
She looked at the claw marks around the doorway, humming to them. Thinking was there new among them.  
Sometimes Logan would have nightmares, and sometimes waking up from them wouldn't help.  
She had luckily already known this before settling into his room, so they had avoided anything severe apart from small scratches. And they healed quickly in her.

Looking at herself from a small mirror above sink, she swallowed from discomfort.  
Her scars… They were changing. Unnoticeably slowly, and if you didn't know each one of them individually, when they were made and what caused them, you wouldn't see anything weird on them.  
But Anna noticed. Her scars… Some small ones had faded almost completely.  
She run her fingers against her right arm, her dominant one that had taken much more damage than her left one. Couple of scars weren't anymore there where she knew they should be.

"Shit."

She thought about what Hank had told her. What the stranger had done to her.  
Using Logan's blood to enhance her healing ability.  
She probably, with time, would become…  
"No…" she whispered, tears in her eyes, looking at her reflection again.  
Thinking Logan. And Victor and what he had told her at the village and at the hospital.

Living eternity, no way of dying.

_"Or at least I haven't stayed dead yet. And I have died so many times bambi, that there's probably nothing new for me."_

She didn't want that. That kind of… Could you call it even a life, if there was no end? Everything chancing around but not you?  
How… Lonesome, absolutely maddening would that be? How did Victor and Logan live with that kind of curse?  
And Anna saw the difference between the brothers, the different ways they seemed to handle the immortality. And thinking the hatred they had between them, thinking that what if she and father would have been like that, if father wouldn't have died from her attack.  
She would still-  
Half-collapsing onto the floor, tightening into ball, hugging her knees to her chest she tried to keep it together.  
Trying not to think about terrifying eternity alone in this world without anything or anyone to call her own, just seeing them slipping away when time-

"Oh god", she whispered, putting her head between her knees. Feeling an attack coming, consuming her, making her animal side to lift its head in alarm and starting to panic. She wanted to move but she couldn't.  
Wanting to go back into the bed, have someone there with her, holding her. Just… Victor.  
No, no Victor. She shouldn't think about- Fuck it. She wanted him there with her. Just like he had been at the hospital with her. Logan was a loyal friend, but she couldn't tell him things or feel the same kind of sense of… She didn't know what to call it.  
It was something strong. Warming and soothing and yet easily heating and accelerating if wanted. Especially when he was just close, and everything was calm and relaxed she felt like-

Taking a breath Anna blinked, surprised of feeling herself breathing normally, the anxiety and the pressure in her chest gone.  
She looked around her in the tiny bathroom, not seeing anything strange. She hadn't seen Victor, nor anything abnormal, work some time now.  
And yet thinking about Victor had calmed her down, just like in that laboratory when she struggled to keep her sanity.

Not wanting to let go of the feeling and maybe suffer another panic attack, Anna closed her eyes and focused. Thinking of the good memories and things of Victor. And some of the bad ones, because, his terrible puns, even how much painful they were, they did make him smile that toothy smirk as she was annoyed…

* * *

He had lost it, he knew it deep down. He was acting so irrationally, barely keeping a grasp on his mind, only knowing so much of his surroundings as only needed for him to keep going forward.  
Running and walking, pushing himself to and over his limits.

With only shreds of clothes, covered in dirt and blood, clearly agitated and exhausted Sabretooth kept moving through everything and anyone as he proceeded forward. The feral had gone mad, not sure when. Immediately after he had healed enough to move? When his thoughts could comprehend somewhat of present, surroundings and what wasn't there with him?

It didn't matter. Barely anything did as he followed the invisible path to his goal. Only pain being in his mind as his obsession took everything he was and had. And didn't have.  
And it would take a damn whole army of hell to put him down before he would get back what was his.


	7. The end of the run

Standing in front of his class Logan wrote onto the movable whiteboard of today’s topic. Talking about Second World War and the way soldiers lived and died on the field in harsh environment, with restricted resources and-  
Phone vibrating in his hip pocket he halted and quickly flipped it out.  
“No phones in-“  
“Shut it”, he growled to a student, answering the call coming from Ororo.  
She didn’t stall and immediately said in hurried, clear tone: “Sabretooth is pushing through our defenses and has broken into the School grounds. He’s coming straight from northeast, I’ve called the others.”  
“Roger.”  
Shutting his phone the feral man growled command for the students lock the door and stay in the class, no-one is allowed outside.  
Running into the hallway and continuing to the nearest exit, Wolverine made a quick call before putting the phone away.

Feeling how anger, revenge and need to protect swirled into fizzing bloodlust.  
“Not this time Victor.”

* * *

Sitting on the bed Anna tensed up and listened carefully way before the someone knocked on Logan’s door.  
“Anna? Logan sent me.”  
Recognizing the voice, though still cautious, the woman walked to the door and listened more. Not hearing anyone else than one out there.  
More knocking.  
“Anna?”  
She opened the door to see Logan’s young friend Rouge standing awkwardly there, the feral woman looking from her into the hallway. Since the alarm had been given, everything had gone unusually quiet as far as Anna had learned while moving into Logan’s room.  
“What is going on, who’s attacking?”  
“Ah, it’s nothing, teachers and others will take care of it”, the teenager answered, taking a step away.  
“I was told to take you down to the holding cell, so… Could you come with me?”  
Eyes narrowing Anna looked at the girl, asking suspiciously.  
“…Why?”  
“Because Logan told me to, Anna.”  
“…No”, she said, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Staring down at the nervous teenager.  
“Tell me why he wants me to go there, Rouge?”  
Something was off. The alarm had announced for everyone to stay in their rooms or classes and lock the doors, only following the protocol or the staff’s instructions. Why would Logan want her to go somewhere else, then his room?  
“He just told me to say that.”  
“Are you sure it was Logan who told you to?”  
“Yes!”  
Suspicion increased, with a hunch.  
“…Who is attacking Rouge? Is it Sabretooth?”  
“No. Now-“

Anna slapped the teenager’s covered hand away, took a step closer making the other take a step back as she glared.  
“Is it Victor?”  
She wasn’t going to wait. Hell, she was moving before she actually noticed it. But she was yanked by her arm and seeing only a flash of bare hand, the feral woman instinctively side kicked the teenager into hip, Rouge collapsing to the floor.

For a moment Anna was worried, moving towards the girl but seeing her starting to get up she didn’t linger.  
Running with full force she sharply turned in the hallway to the stairs, jumping the last ones and listened, navigating towards the sounds of faint fighting outside.

This was crazy. She should not go towards the fight but away from it, that’s common sense, right?  
She was supposed to stay away from Sabretooth, right?  
He was a predator.  
So, why then, why was she running with full intention to go see him?  
Because it was the mate thingy? Or she wanted to see others ripping him a new one? See him in full action against X-men? Cause she just wanted to be with him?  
“Oh shit”, she whispered with disbelief, running down another stair. Laughing as the front door wouldn’t open and she started kicking it with all she had.  
She’s mad.  
She took a small table, a vase dropping from it and shattering onto the floor.  
She was actually excited of knowing him being near and she wanted to see him, and there was no fear or hesitation.  
Holding by the legs she hit the table against one of the windows, seeing a light crack as the table instead broke.

Seeing someone flying there, hearing now more clearly the sounds, seeing something flashing on the sky and hearing Victor’s roar of anger and pain…

“Fuck!”  
Anna jumped shoulder ahead against the window, feeling the glass shaking and the impact aching her body but god damn her if she was gonna just let them kill him.  
_He_ was _hers_ to kill and vice versa!

* * *

Still getting up after burned by lighting Sabretooth kept running. Not wanting to waste time but with these ones attacking him the beast man had no choice but to fight.

Like a rabid animal not feeling anything, he just kept getting up, healing and fighting, pushing forward with every opportunity. No sense of strategy or better understanding of the situation or who was attacking him.  
Stabbed by someone’s claws and chest opened by them enraged wild feral grabbed the person’s arms, striking his claws into their inner forearm, ripping their claws out from him.  
Grabbing the shorty Sabretooth threw them to someone who was lunging towards them.

Dodging ice and lighting he kept running, having the scent stronger than before and it was fresh.  
Again jumping away from another attack, the feral kept moving almost on four legs towards the main building.  
Noticing movement there at a window.  
Recognizing.  
  
Speeding more, pushing the muscles a bit more over their limits moving with no more physical energy and fitness, seeing his mate coming through the window, glass shattering as she fell to the ground.  
Smell of her blood agitating him to the peak.

Stupid, stupid frail, can’t stay in one place, can’t stay out of trouble, can’t keep unhurt and- Fucking stupid annoying frail mate!

* * *

Wolverine had no idea what the hell was Anna doing outside there, breaking through a window and everyone stared in fear as they tried to reach and protect her before Sabretooth.  
Being too late as the rabid feral jumped onto the woman, Logan screaming in agony.


	8. Grasping at straws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I am not sure about this chapter at all. I tried to make it somewhat logical and believable. I really hope I just didn't jump the shark. If I already haven't.

Anna was frozen, but only from pure shock. The familiarity of Victor suddenly covering her, and bringing to the surface what she had missed the most deeply about him. It had grown stronger all this time.  
Starting in the village, then sprouting in the hospital, then deepening at the laboratory, as she always needed to adjust to her new, strange and unfamiliar situations that were bigger than her own strength. When she struggled to keep every single threat checked and away, keep herself secured from any harm in mental and physical level on her own.  
And now, the surprise taken away her defense, she only wanted to keep still and stay with Victor, despite the pain and the urgency of situation. It was intoxicating, everything, that was him, soothing her.  
Anna folded her arms around the large body on top of hers, and hide her relief and tears onto his skin.

Grasping Anna into embrace, Sabretooth held his face against the woman's neck, breathing deeply and purring with deep serenity as he laid on the middle of broken glass with her.  
This, this is his mate. This is what was missing when he revived.  
What kept him searching and moving. Maddening him.  
And now, as he had found her, yet again, holding her tightly, the beast could feel enormous wave of relief. The maddening grip of his body and soul releasing.  
Every tension in his muscles relaxing as he took another deep breath, smelling that familiar dark and spicy scent.  
And blood.  
And tears and  _runt's stink_.  
The smooth purring turned into vicious growling, the claws extending back out and eyes opening into slits.

Anna grimaced.  
"Hgn, Vi-"  
The grip was getting uncomfortable, as also the claws that were pushing into-  
"Victor! Stop!"

Seeing, smelling and hearing the beast on Anna attacking her, Logan lunged to the side of them and kicked the fucker on his side. Enough that Sabretooth landed onto his back, revealing his claws retreating from the woman's back. Enraged, roaring, the Wolverine went into to rip those filthy hands off of her.  
Didn't need to. The bastard throw her away and lunged to him, tackling to the ground.

Anna was a bit confused what just happened, but getting up she was quickly helped up by the big Russian guy. Turning around she just the two feral brothers ripping into each other, just like in the woods.  
And nobody did anything as the two kept close to each other, mangling.  
"Colossus, how long do you thing they'll go on that?"  
"Uh, as long as they want, I'll say."  
"Anna", Hank ran to her, checking her over, seeing the wounds made by glass and claws. "You okay?"  
"I'm fine. Can you separate those two?"  
"Not really", Storm said as she landed next to her. "We might hit Logan and-"  
A man with goggles burst out laser light from his eyes, aiming but missing Sabretooth as the feral dodged backwards, Wolverine following with his claws.

"Cyclops!" Storm yelled to their teammate and started walking to him.  
"We can only monitor and see no-one else gets into the fight, hoping they exhaust themselves", Hank continued to explain. "Though in the end, we maybe have to attack and hurt Logan too in the process to stop them."  
"Why not just attack now?" Anna asked from him, "Logan can take it. They need-"  
"We will handle it Anna", he tried to reassure her, taking her by an arm and starting to pull her with him. "But we need to check your wounds first, come."

He was apoplectic. Unforgiving.  
It didn't matter if he had done the same before many times, but experiencing it himself, Sabretooth could not stand his brother's stench on his mate. He fucking hate sharing anything with anyone and the runt just tried taking this one little damn thing he had!

He was furious with Anna. Why hell did she come out, breaking through the window as Victor was here? Because some bullshit mate mental thing? And now she was hurt, the asshole had touched her when Wolverine had wanted to keep her away Sabretooth as far as he could, to protect like he protected Rouge. Sabretooth had taken enough and it would end now!

Anna knew better, than to get mixed up into that fight. It was unlike anything she had ever seen nor done. Even father was never that brutal, that furious with anyone. The brothers' fight was full on gory and bloody, nothing sparing, just meat, intense, claws and teeth. Like a snake eating itself with deep self-hatred.  
And excited yet more disturbed, as she shook her head to Hank.  
"No, they- I want them to stop."  
"There's really you nor we can do right now", the blue feral man said grimly.  _Pity_  peeking out from his gaze.  
And the feral woman dug her heels in, shaking her hand from his grip and feeling bitter fire inside, giving her every crazy self-confidence that  _she_  was going to  _stop that fight_.  
"I'll fucking show you."

A little bit too late Hank understood his mistake, trying to grab her before she took off running.  
"C- Colossus, her, take!"  
But she quickly passed the metal giant, straight to- Towards Ororo and Scott. Confused but still worried he started running after. Seeing Anna pushing Scott in aggressive manner, the young man sneering back to her.

"If you get a fucking chance will you be able to hit?" Anna snarled and stared down at the guy who really didn't know that well. He always seemed to have some problem with Logan so the two of them never really talked. But now she needed his help and he seemed eager to shoot the two raging idiots.  
"Yeah, I can." was the irritated answer and Anna nodded, going to talk but Ororo and Hank stopped her.  
"Anna, what do you think you're doing?"  
"You really should go inside."  
"No, me and Scott are gonna stop them and I hope you'll keep Logan down."  
"Logan?"  
"Yes, keep him off and I will deal with Victor."  
And hopefully they'll be ready to do something if- Oh fuck it, like she hadn't fought with him before.  
"Just keep Logan away."  
"No, Anna, you-"  
"Scott you ready?"  
"Just waiting for you."  
Oh she- She really hoped this was gonna work. If not she would look total- Okay, no, she was gonna do it, and it would work, and she would put the puss down and this will stop now. No need for all this, this was ridiculous!  
Ignoring all the protests and slipping away before someone grabbed her, Anna ran towards the fighting. Stopping a little away from it and looked behind, others on their edge, between coming to take her crazy ass away from here or see what the hell she was going to do.  
In fact she kinda, little bit, hoped she had a gun and bullets... But she really didn't want to do that thing again, not neither of the two.

Taking a deep breath, feeling herself shaking all over, knowing very well what she was going to do and it was going to be deeply embarrassing. The alternative of it, that it would not work, terrifying, remembering all the stares and the feelings as a child.  
And before she would loose the courage, Anna took another breath and did it.

Sabretooth, and also Wolverine, halted in middle of their strikes, confused. And hearing again the sound, high and short whine, almost like a bird, the two ferals looked at the direction while staying put.  
Then a laser blast hit Logan precisely in his head, startling Sabretooth who growling turned-  
And hearing again that sound, turned away from unconscious Wolverine to the source of the sound, seeing his mate running to her.

The rest of the X-men were very much, deeply confused. Not really believing what happened in front of their eyes, as Anna run to Sabretooth who approached her, answering to her odd sound with a loud, also short sound mix of grunting and roaring.  
Hank also tried to keep himself stay put and quiet, feeling a weird effect from the woman's sound.

Stopping in front of Victor, Anna felt so much shame and embarrassment that it took everything from her not to look away from the intense gaze at her.  
"Better not make fun of me", she muttered through gritted teeth, feeling herself hot all over and shaking. But then leaning into the embrace that Victor pulled her into, feeling a bit better of herself. And hearing after a sniff him starting to growl again.  
Slapping his bare, dirty, bloody and still here and there healing back, she said sternly: "Stop that."  
"...No", came the broken, growled answer as Victor pulled away, scaring her for a moment, she grabbing the remains of his pants, but he didn't let go of her.

Finally his head a bit better and clear, Victor glared down at Anna, holding his hands on her shoulders.  
A one, long silent minute went as they stared at each other equally with same level of irritation and spite. Until it was he who talked first.  
"You fucking shot me!"  
"Well you threw Logan at me!"  
"Oh yeah, that's just so much worse than being  _shot in the head_!"  
"Well you healed from that it seems!"  
"It-!"  
No, he was not gonna tell her it hurt. He was not going to show any weakness in front of-  
"And I'm sorry."  
Brows raising Sabretooth was... Somewhat surprised. Not going to stop her at all as she continued.  
"I am sorry, that I shot you. And didn't trust you at the hospital. But mostly sorry for the shot."  
...Taking a deep breath, closing and opening his eyes Sabretooth shrugged his shoulders.  
"I  _guess_  I can accept that..."  
"Are you gonna ask from me something ridiculous?"  
"Well now that you aaaask."  
"Oh forget it", she shrugged his hold, but he was  _not_  gonna let her walk away. Never again. So he grabbed her behind, pulling back sniffing her neck and growled from disgust.  
"Runt's smell is all over you", he growled, turning Anna around and holding her hard demanded: "Why?"  
"Loosen your grip Victor."  
"No, you tell me why the hell you smell of him, bambi?"  
The feral woman tried to kick the male between his legs. But Sabretooth knew already her little tricks so he locked her leg between his thighs.  
"A-a, answer to me."  
"I didn't fuck him if that's so much disturbing you", she growled and he smelled that sweet anger he had missed some.  
"That's better be it, bambi."  
"Or what puss? Gonna fucking lock me somewhere?"  
Anger flaring up he gripped her more tightly because- It hurt! It fucking hurt to think she was with someone else, especially if with the backstabbing runt!  
"I just may do that", he threatened with teeth showing, dark smile.

"...Fuck you. Scott!"

Anna was not gonna take this shit and not gonna have this conversation right now. So she duck her head, and was glad she was riled enough not to think, that what if Scott didn't have good enough aim.  
Luckily he had, and feeling the puss getting hit, his grip letting go of her, Anna though still looked a bit worried at unconscious Victor. But not seeing his head busted out, just a little bit burned.  
And now there was this whole mess with X-men mixing into it. She was starting to feel really tired from everything, how invisible walls were going to close in as things got more complicated. Why did Victor had to come here?


	9. We tried to fight and run

"Whose side are you on?" he asked, not holding back any vibrating anger in his voice. He was confused, and worried and angered because he didn't know anymore who Anna really was.  
"I'm on my own side Logan."  
Scoffing, shaking his head Wolverine took steps back and forth, ignoring everyone else in the lab but the woman who was supposed to be his, theirs, friend.  
"Yeah, and a little bit his side too…"  
"Oh? Well I fucking helped you all."  
She stepped in front of him and he hated how he had to look upwards to her face. It usually didn't bother Logan if someone was taller than him, he had ways to compensate that... But right now, he really didn't like how Anna was taller than him.  
He pointed towards the hallway were holding cells are, where unconscious Sabretooth is right now.

"You protected him!" he yelled. Wanting her to snap out of that whatever it was that had taken her into its control. "You didn't want him hurt, so you made me a damn target and cuddled him!"  
"I didn't cuddle him!"  
"Not what I was told."  
Scott had told him everything. She was fucking hugging that psychopath and talking all sweet. Just who Anna really helped out there then, hm? Who was asking, what they were going to do with the criminal? Who was it, that asked to see him?  
If that wasn't being at Sabretooth's side, then guess Wolverine was losing his damn mind here!  
"I don't want to fight you Logan", she turned away and that was not gonna happen, she was gonna answer to him right now, honestly this time. So, he grabbed onto the woman's arm, yanking her back.

And was grabbed by the front of his shirt, as they glared at each other with tightening holds.  
"You hurt Rouge."  
"I didn't broke or snap anything from her, it's just a freaking bruise. And she was gonna use her powers on me!"  
"...You said you don't love him."  
He really was worried of her. And it alarmed more as she got angrier by the words, pulling him closer by his shirt.  
"I, am sick of-!"

* * *

"Okay that's enough", Ororo called out, slapping her hands sharply together and Colossus in his metal form stepped between the ferals, pulling them away from each other.  
Logan's worry was not only his own, as Hank and others also were puzzled of Anna's meanings after Sabretooth had appeared and attacked them at their home.  
Though, having private talking sessions with the woman, the blue haired feral could see it wasn't that simple with the feral woman.  
It was nothing simple.  
She wasn't purely in love with the criminal, not like a school girl or someone who doesn't see what Sabretooth was or had done nor was ignoring all his monstrous nature.

No, Hank believed it was more. Not necessarily romantic love... Maybe something like mythical feral mate thing, or maybe not.  
It was hard to prove anything yet, just theories.  
And… As a scientist he was interested to prove his theory, see was he wrong or not, and how the testing would process.

But as a friend and as an X-men he was just as worried as everyone else.

As Storm called Logan and Peter and Scott to come with her for a closed meeting, he nodded at the look she gave him.  
Anna, clearly upset by Logan's words, walked restlessly around the room.

"…Why don't you sit down?" he proposed, turning towards movable table stove, putting water in a teapot to heat up.  
"I'll rather stand", she answered and kept walking with hurried steps.  
"That is fine."  
He himself sat down, taking a notepad and a pen, keeping his hands working on something. Noticing her suspicious glance as she halted.  
"Is this gonna be a talking session? Right now?"  
"If you don't mind? What happened today outside seemed to... Overturn some of your arguments."  
"Oh yeah like what?!"  
"No need to shout", he calmly pointed out, squinting his beast like eyes. "I'm not your enemy Anna. None of us here are."  
She finally sat down, whole body signaling rejection as she didn't look at him, her arms crossed over her chest and her upper body hunched a bit forward.  
Looking at the calmly, Hank thought about how to form his questions and how to lure her to open up to him.

"...How did you know, they would react like that to that... Calling you did?"  
"I didn't", she muttered. Observing he noticed her gaze wondering more, cheeks and neck bit redder as her whole body was staying put.  
And then she spoke, with a stutter.  
"I- I jus- Just... Just tried."  
"And what if it wouldn't have worked?"  
"...Can we talk something else?"  
"...I guess so. But why you wanted us to held Logan back, and not Sabretooth?"  
She did not answer, Hank waiting for couple of minutes.  
"Anna?"  
"I don't know."  
She stared at her entwined fingers, face down.  
"Don't know."  
"And why did you broke out? Through the window?"  
She shook her head.  
"I don't know."  
"You must have felt or thought something when you were doing all that?"  
She shook her head again, tensed all up.  
"...I won't judge y-"  
"You will! You will and it will all get worse!"  
"In what way worse?" he said gently, noticing how she lightly shook.  
"I don't know but it will... It always will if I try to- If I let-"  
It always the same with her. When Anna was almost telling something, that Hank guessed made her think that he would take it very badly, she would stop herself.

With these past sessions, she had told many things, giving them like puzzle pieces for Hank to collect and solve the picture that they should form.

Anna had told about her father. Glimpses about the life she had in a cottage, alone with her father and no-one else allowed into their so called territory.  
Something horrible happening to her mother because of father, and how Anna thought that she, as a child, should have done something to prevent it.  
And it was clear, that she guarded herself in every way with almost paranoia. With her father. After killing him and being adopted by one of the villagers. After almost killed as a child by some mutant who she had to kill to save herself.  
And that her adoptive father had just continued training her like her biological father, giving her the rules towards hiding her nature, the mutant one and the dangerous one.  
Hank had listened her telling in bitter and cynical way about guarding her village, her territory, from those who let themselves be railed up by her and come after her. Those who had potential to challenge her and hurt her.  
And presumably be killed by her, as Anna left that part for him to figure out but it was clear to tell.

Broken or nonexistent relationships towards parents.  
Raised with isolation, rejection, feeling of inferiority and learn into pain and violence.  
Having always to try her best to keep her surroundings in balance in order to avoid disorder in body and mind.  
Not having the care, support and love that a child should have.  
Never really address her past and traumas, but use them as restorative towards her look at the world and everyone around her.  
Learned to kill with dressed up reasons and creeds.

Yes. Anna had everything to become a sociopath killer with little empathy towards anyone.  
And yet, Anna had cried when telling of the painful things to him. Blaming herself about her mother, her friends Sarah and Gary.  
Speaking of her friendship with Logan with careful gentleness, calling him a good person.  
Or she suggesting concern towards Sabretooth, defending him from accuses of abusing her.

She was not a lost cause, Hank had decided. Having the right people in her life had kept her on the surface, have some moral and sympathy towards those she cared for deeply.  
Now... The question was... Would the relationship between her and Victor Creed be the rock or the enforcing fiber in the lifeline?  
It was very dangerous question. It was Sabretooth after all. He was  **not known**  for being nice, to put it lightly.  
Although, it seemed he had only come into the School grounds, pushed past all the defenses and them, to just find Anna. He had chased her and Logan in the forest too. Calling her his mate. And he hadn't killed her when holding her in front of them, not even tried to.  
Though he had been ruff, making her to call Scott to shoot him.

It could be Sabretooth had an obsession of her, and not in a good way. Anna seemed to also be aware of that possibility, if analyzing her behavior towards him outside, but she still had affection towards him.

Hank thought about this, analyzing, remembering, theorizing, disputing with himself so that, he didn't heard the tea water being ready until Anna raised her voice.  
"Hank! The tea?"  
"Oh, right, yes", he got up, putting down his pen and notepad, walking to the whistling teapot.

...It would be crazy. Sabretooth clearly had tendency, easily submitting into sadistic, repulsive and inhuman acts  **and**  enjoy of them with no remorse. He could be easily called a heartless monster.  
...And yet, Hank thought, his mind buzzing, as he poured hot water into two cups, putting one teabag into each one of them, that what if...  
What if with right person, with right methods...  
It was wishful thinking, naive and very, very dangerous. It probably would be more like forcing two negatives together, rejecting each other with great force and making it worse, incontinent.  
...Though, in other hand, two negatives can make a positive...  
Maybe... No... It would be selfish to test it, putting Anna into danger.  
But... Feral's mating bonds... Not really proved... But Sabretooth... A very feral one, calling her his mate... No, no.

It was tempting and Hank was disappointed of himself considering such things. Feeling himself like unethical doctor who-

* * *

Anna watched with half-amusement as Hank had frozen with two teacups on each hand, staring into nothingness in deep intent.  
She really didn't like it if it was about her. It is better not be about her.  
"Hank?" she called and frowned as the feral man startled, blinked and looked at her in daze.  
"Ah! Yes yes, I apologize", he spoke while walking to her and giving a teacup.  
She held it as he sat down into his chair, sipping his tea.  
And then he asked: "In all honesty, what do you think about Sabretooth? In two sentences for example?"  
Lifting a brow she squinted her hazel eyes at him.  
"Why?" she asked suspiciously, still just holding her teacup.  
"Just humor me."  
...Is he testing her? That would she betray them for the puss? Because it was clear from Logan that they were suspecting her. And it irritated her.  
"Please? How would you describe him? I am just curious, simply."  
He actually sounded very, purely curious.  
Sighing deeply, blowing rising steam from her cup she seriously thought about how she saw him. First rose all the negatives about him, those were easy, he wasn't some pure, nice person. But... He wasn't totally shitty person neither. At least, not how she saw those kind of people.

Taking a small sip of the hot liquid, the warmth going down her throat and into her stomach, her gaze wandering in the lab room, she tried to think. Two sentences huh?

"He is..." she started, taking her time with the words. To give a balanced review.  
"Don't try to think about it too much", Hank however interrupted her and she glared. "...I'm sorry, continue please. Just be honest."  
"...Victor is arrogant, impetuous, bossy and grinning and stupid puns making jackass", she dryly answered, taking another sip, bigger one and burning some of her tongue. So what. The wounds the glass shards and Victor had given her before were already healing, she needed just not to move too much.  
With annoyance she continued.  
"He's a powerful predator, smart, strong, warm and safe."

Immediately noticing what she had said, Anna froze. Staring at also shocked Hank.

...Alarm went off, starling them both, Hank raising and with his teacup hurrying to the control panel, Anna putting away her cup and coming to look from behind him.  
In one of the monitors, that showed the holding cell's hallway, filmed as Sabretooth was hitting against hard glass door, trying to bring it down.  
"I'll go", she said and started walking before really thinking about it, pushing through the door and soon running down the hallway. Hearing the racket that angry sounding Victor was making as he slammed against the door.

As she came into his view though, the feral man stopped, standing in the glass cell.  
Panting he glared at her, as she walked to stand in front of him at the other side of the door.

Looking at Victor, he obviously agitated and edgy as he strike side of his fist against the glass, Anna grimaced. Feeling uncomfortable.  
"Open this fucking door."  
"Why?"  
Another punch, heavy breathing and increased volume in growling. Another hand, open palm placing against the surface, lengthening claws scratching and the sound irritating her ears.  
"Open it!" he roared.  
"I couldn't even if wanted", she shouted back, wanting him to just calm down. "Victor, calm down."  
"The fuck I will", he punched the glass again and again and Anna held herself from taking a step back. Pushing away the fear and worry and reaching for the burning feeling, making herself to step closer to the door, almost pressing against it.  
"You calm down now, or I'll leave", she threatened, hearing him laugh shortly without real humor.  
"Can't fucking believe you bambi."

* * *

Stepping away from the door Victor started to walk around the small room, feeling himself almost loosing it. All the control.  
Wanting to just, just rip everything that was between him and her. Fucking take her and just throw into somewhere, somewhere secure. But no, nono,  **no**  just no because fuck no he was getting anything in this fucked up world even if he tried to hold into it! It wasn't enough what ever he did. It never. Is. Enough.  
Wasn't for Jimmy and wasn't for Anna!

"I rescued you!" he yelled, stopping on his steps and turning towards her. "I helped you, healed you, kept safe and all that but fuck no! No!"  
He lunged at the door, crashing against it, staring at her and smelling it. A little bit of fear and it sickened him and excited him because hell, why not!? It was better than runt's stink on her!  
"And what you give? Huh? Pen into the head, shot in the head, a laser beam from one of your fucking boys!"  
His face twitched, spread into a snarl which mouth corners rose now and then.  
Glaring at her with every hating fiber he carried towards her.  
"Or no, Logan probably doesn't like sharing his piece of cunt, does he? Huh? What-"  
The glass door jolted, but not because of him.  
Glancing down he saw her foot against the surface, and looking back up to her face saw her almost as agitated as he was. Breathing heavily, face turned into grimace and whole body shaking.  
"Fuck you", she whispered, kicking the door again. "Fuck you." Another kick, her voice stronger, getting louder with each kick. "Fuck you.  **Fuck you. FUCK YOU!** "  
A sob broke through her face, tears forming as Anna glared at silently staring Victor.  
With silent suffering he watched as Anna seemed like grumbling in front of him, sobbing and putting down her foot hit her head and fist against the door, shaking against it. Whispering harshly the same sentence again.  
"...Fuck you", he growled quietly back, leaning his forehead against the surface at the same spot as hers did.

Victor didn't cry. Not since he was a kid. Guess he cried back then so much he just created a natural defense against showing something so pity and weak. He didn't cry when Jimmy left him, cutting out of his life like Victor was a bad cancer.  
And he didn't cry now as he desperately wanted to hold his mate who he had hurt and who had hurt him.  
But it was close, as he looked at her. Hearing, smelling and almost feeling her pain, mixing into his own.  
He couldn't even start purring, throat tightened uncomfortably.  
It distressed him how much all of this was so damn difficult. Just proving why this whole mate thing was one big fucking mess, a mistake. Especially as she didn't want anything to do with hi-

"I don't get it, why you want me", she said to him in silent, scared voice that he had never heard from her. "...A... A damn... Low prey."


	10. Confession I

"That's what your old man used to say?" Victor asked, somber. Already guessing the truth but...

This felt like the right thing to do.

Like back at the hospital, as he kneeled in front of his mate. Submitting.  
Sickening and nervous, but instincts telling him to do it, nudging him forward. Show her that... That he...

Victor wanted to make a point here, for both of them. Show some weakness here.

Because he had enough of Anna running from him, fighting him and questioning his words and actions towards their connection.  
Because he had enough of being desolate and never have something to really call his own. Never have the understanding that own fucking brother couldn't give.  
Or acceptance that damn father hadn't allowed. Or love that mother couldn't show.  
Teeth clenching the feral man continued. Forced himself.  
Keeping the eye contact because he wanted Anna to understand this.  
 _Understand him._  
If she, however... Wouldn't... He could finally force his stupid animal mind to recognize that this was not working, it was not worth it.  
It wouldn't be what he wanted. Nor needed.

"He calling you a low prey, doing what ever it was that made you to act like he wanted, look like he wanted? Again and again until you just did everything to make it all, him, to finally stop?"

Victor had long ago given into this need and desire to have Anna as his mate, knowing how pain in the ass it would be with her.  
Yes, they are both monsters. Broken. Unstable. Killers and predators, psychopaths. Proud and stubborn, sick and faulty. Villains.  
And so what?

"But he still wouldn't stop? Because he decided, that you were not worthy of anything until  _he_  would say otherwise?"

It still didn't need to mean, that they couldn't have something better. Together.  
When they are together, Victor is content. Actually enjoying.  
Anna didn't shun him because he liked the feeling and taste and smell of blood. Loved the power of creating fear. Praised his animal side to dominate and hunt and kill, be what he was born to be.  
No, Anna admired him.  
And yet, didn't bend to him because of it or because of fear nor because he forced her to. She fought against him, showed she was not someone to be toyed with. Challenged him and stayed alive and free. Unbroken.  
Made  _him_  submit to  _her_ , without she really telling nor forcing him to.  
She accepted him, wanted him, with some difficulties however.

But with Anna, Victor felt it, the connection that his instincts had noticed and accepted before his human mind did.  
With her, there was excitement, playfulness but also softness, understanding and feeling of serene. And no backstabbing and scheming like at some past sexual partnership of his. No gaining money nor power, just being together.

"And that's where he made a mistake."

Victor wished this annoying door was not between them now. He wanted to hold his mate so badly, make that sadness and self-pity and -spite go away because the bambi didn't deserve to feel like that. Not Anna.

"He gave you time and chance to become something that didn't bend anymore. That didn't feel fear no more. Didn't take it anymore. And because of that", he smiled to her, the corners not touching his eyes but he wanted to smile and not stop when his own memories kept wanting to take over. But he had lived with them for years and he wouldn't let them keep him from convince his mate that she and he were the same.  
They were what they needed, and he understood her. And loved her, not seeing flaws but things that made her-

"You are a true predator, Anna. And I'm the most dangerous predator on this planet so I god damn know, what a real prey is. And it's a one, that doesn't put up a fight. That just lets others use it, doesn't grasp onto what's its. Just lets the world kick it around and takes it like a little bitch."

He had shown her he could take care of her. Saved and helped her. Cared and wanted her. Couldn't that be enough?

"And that doesn't in hell sound like you. You put up a fight against me from the very beginning. You managed to kill me couple of times even."

He huffed, smirking at his mate.  
And even if it had hurt a lot to die, it still had excited him so much, like when he had awoken on that chair, all bound after he had tried to force her. Instead of just calling the cops she had decided to kill him by herself, and would have managed if not for his healing ability.  
And in that forest when they fucked the first time? Still made him shiver from pleasure, remembering how she looked like a damn predator wearing the skin of a prey, looking down at him while riding his body.

"You just kept pushing me backwards, keeping me on my toes as you defended your territory. Like that fishing cutting place, I was furious of how you used that against me."  
Anna rubbed her face from tears, looking at him with much calmer eyes and it pleased him greatly, making him purr through the glass door to her.  
"Doesn't sound like a prey to me, does it now, Anna?"  
"...You left."  
He half-snarled, punching the door but not as viciously as before. Just to make her listen to him clearly now.  
"And I came back", he said firmly. "I decided and I accepted this god damn pain in the ass mate thing because I keep what's mine. And you weren't some frail that I'll just buy or take. You ain't no fucking prey."

* * *

Anna, was absolutely fucked up.  
Growing panic keeping her from leaving as a thing kept bending her to its will. But not violently, not with forcefulness. If it would, she could handle it, she could fight it. Get angry and fight it.  
But no. It was not vicious, it was worst, it was warmth and caressing. Whispering. And she wasn't sure how to react to it.

Why did Victor have to talk like that, speak of things that- Why couldn't he make things easy, and just be an arrogant, infuriating and oppressive asshole?  
Anna could feel this alien, strong, shaking feeling intoxicating her as his words dragged out everything she desperately wanted to keep under wraps. Tearing down one by one defenses which kept her thinking clear and realistic, staying alert of him.  
But as he first started talking to her in questions, she couldn't stop staring and listening to him.  
Couldn't stop noticing what he was trying to prove to her.  
That he knew, what had happened. That he too, had suffered same kind of hurt, sorrow, anger and loneliness and revenge.  
Telling her that he  _understood_.

Reminding her, how Victor didn't like his claws to be touched. His reaction as she asked about them.  
And how she wanted, somehow, to go back in time and murder that asshole father who hurt Victor! Because it pained so much to think of him all alone and beaten. He hadn't deserved that kind of cruelty...

...Anna was scared. And yet hopeful, as he kept talking.  
Telling her what she wanted someone to tell her when she was a child. That she was not worthless, not a prey. She was a survivor, who deserved more than what she had been given. That she deserved things like anyone else.  
That she could have hi-  
And it scared it was Victor who said all these things to her, talking and watching with tenderness that she had seen Gary looking at Sarah when the doctor didn't notice. It made her anxious as she tried not to think what all this meant from Victor.  
Because, if it actually wouldn't mean what she secretly hoped for, and it was... All just cruel act from him... She couldn't...

"You left", she said weakly, because that he had done. Left without a warning, without a note, without anything and just left as she ran into the shower from the moment they had shared. When they realized they were the same.  
And now Victor said words, confessed maybe, which would be the second cruelest thing Anna had suffered in life if not true but if said with sincerity...

Is this what love feels like? It's horrible. So overwhelming, so warm and intoxicating. Deluding senses and mind.

"...Now you're suppose to tell how amazing I am in turn", she barely heard him say, and nervousness in his voice, from the beating of her own heart. Was that vulnerability in his eyes? Why would he- She hardly could laugh to that joke, was that a joke, hands against the glass turned into fists as she hopelessly stared him with mixed emotions.  
How the hell she would- He was not just fucking with her, right? If she now said something, he wouldn't start laughing and grinning?  
But she wanted to say it, everything, to him. How she-

She wanted this door away so she could feel him, knowing it would calm her if she could just- He purred, deep and calmly, as he kept staring at her and she wanted to answer as she kept standing there against the glass.  
"I- I-"

* * *

Getting into the hallway and walking forward with hurried steps Logan saw how Anna and Sabretooth were both leaning against the cell's door from both sides towards each other.  
Sabretooth was... Purring and... Anna seemed all...  
"Anna", he called for her as she was stuttering something to the other feral man.  
" **Fuck off runt!** "  
Ignoring the roar he walked right next to the woman who was like a statue, still and silent.  
"Anna?"  
"Y- Yeah?"  
Frowning to her small voice Wolverine kept ignoring furious captive on the other side of the glass, and said.  
"Need to talk with you, come on", he turned and took couple of steps, but then stopped as he didn't hear her to come.  
"Anna?"  
"She doesn't want to. So leave  _us_ ", Sabretooth snarled, sneering and finally glancing at him, Logan glared back. Then looked again at Anna.  
"Anna, I wanna talk to you. Now."  
"I- It's impo- portant?"  
"Yes."  
"...I c- I can't."  
"Why not", he growled, walking back to her, ignoring again the loudly growling and heavily glaring feral, whose breathing he could hear clearly next to him through the glass.

"Anna?"  
"I'm stu- Stuck."  
Dumbfound silence, before he questioned: "What?"  
"I- I'm... Frozen."  
Sabretooth chuckled, and Logan straightened his arm, extended his adamantium claws which sliced trough the glass like paper. Unfortunately, the bastard was fast enough to avoid the hit, and Logan pulled his claw back in. Reaching towards frozen Anna with one hand. This wasn't the first time she was frozen, though Logan didn't understand what caused it and he really wanted to talk with her now.  
As he reached towards her however, he momentarily halted when Sabretooth hit the glass wall, right at the height which Wolverine's head was. The whole wall jolted with a great boom that startled Anna away from it and Logan looked at his pissed off nemesis.

"You ain't gonna touch her."

...Smirking, just a little, seeing Sabretooth getting more and more furious, Logan grabbed shaking Anna from her wrist and started half-pulling her with him out of the hallway. Which echoed with bashing sounds and yells and roars and growls as Sabretooth raged in his cell.  
" **Runt!** "

Good. The fucker deserved everything after what he has done to everyone.


	11. Nothing is simple

Anna was in daze as she was half-dragged, barely hearing the violent protests of Victor behind, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. Her mind racing and scattering as it tried to slow down and assemble itself back together. She however wasn't taught how to handle these kind of emotions, opposite towards anger and pain but just as raw and commanding.  
Victor maybe loved her.  
Anna maybe loved him.  
It is horrible and wonderful at the same time.  
She is scared of what she's feeling and at the same time enjoys of the uncontrollable things happening to her, observing with fascination and terror. Is this what others feel with those, which they are so attracted to? Care more deeply than friends? How do people endure this kind of torture?

"Hey."  
Anna blinks at the rough sound and snapping fingers in front of her face. "Hey Anna?"  
She weakly pushes the hand away, lowering her gaze to Logan. He looks troubled.  
"Wh- What?" she stammers, staring in confusion. Why she's here, in the lab? How? Didn't she just stand at the hallway? And where's Hank?  
"Anna looked at me, now."  
The deep, sharp growling snapped her attention back, her eyes focusing at the shorter feral.  
"I'm listening."  
"Good. Now what was that there?"  
"What was what?"  
"With Sabretooth."  
"We were talking private things", is her instant answer as she tries to find her voice.  
"Private?"  
"Did I stutter?"  
"You clearly aren't understanding the seriousness of this."

She was, really, she just needed to calm down. She really wants to focus but it's hard as hell when her mind keeps rewinding Victor's voice and words. How the hell do people live with these kind of emotions? Or is she just sick, or was her animal side just going haywire or-  
"Anna!"  
"What!?"

There's another pause between the ferals, just the two of them in the room. The look on Logan gradually bringing Anna down from the euphoria, from romanced daydreams and back down to the cruel reality where she has to understand that, the man in the cell, is Sabretooth. A man who has a past, cruel and bloody one, and bad blood with her friend Logan. Causing a lot of pain to the black haired feral whose confusion she can completely understand.  
And she feels awful.

"I don't know... What is it between you two", he starts and Anna wants to answer that she too isn't quiet sure either, but lets him continue. As he shout with anger and worry and most of all, confusion.  
"But... Fuck Anna, he's Sabretooth!"  
He points towards the hallway, turns away from her and walks a bit before stops.  
"Do you understand who the hell that guy is?"  
"I know", she says, keeping her voice steady.  
"Do you? Really?"  
"He tried to kill and rape me", her voice is a bit snarky but he did it first to him. "So yes, I think I have  _some_  level of understanding of him."

Turning around he looks at her like she's out of her mind and that she surely is. And she has never liked to be uncertain of things, not knowing her place in the world and who her friends and enemies were.  
But now, after Victor's speech that shook her, she can no more just deny herself. Deny her animal side. Deny her soft feelings towards him. And she hated how everything was now so much more complicated because of  _what_  she felt towards  _who_.

* * *

Logan was very upset. Looking at Anna and trying to understand how the fuck did it come to this, she falling in love with Sabretooth?  
It had to be some kind of... Trick, sickness or something because all the things he could remember, all the things he knew of that man who called him runt and Jimmy and claimed to be his brother... He couldn't come up with anything why someone would fell for that kind of madman without something being wrong.  
"And you are okay with that?" he said with discomfort in his throat.  
"I'm not okay with it", she answered and crossed her arms over her chest, he mimicking her pose unconsciously.  
"I'm not okay with what he has done to others in the past neither, nor what he has done to you, Logan."

Didn't she know enough? Was she so enthralled by the mate thing she didn't want to nor couldn't understand?  
Or was she really such a cold, impassive person, that he hadn't realized it before this? She had been warm with Sarah, caring with Gary and playful with him. Sometimes showing she had problems that stemmed from her past, but he never had thought it to be anything...

"But I'm not gonna hold it against him. You yourself have told me, that you have done lot of things in your-"  
"It's different", he cut in with a growl. "I'm not a hero, I've done bad things, but I have conscience and ability to regret. And he damn doesn't, never have shown any shame or regret. Never."  
Despite always saying the two of them being brothers.  
Well, what ever had Logan done to get Sabretooth so obsessed with hurting him as much as it was possible? Every birthday finding Wolverine and giving some kind of  _gift_. Someone Logan knew or himself getting hurt by the lunatic. Always wondering was that bastard following him, targeting someone around him, attacking anytime and going to do something awful to someone.  
What had he done to Victor to get his deep vengeance?

"I'm sorry", Anna says, distracting him from bitter, troubled thoughts. "I shouldn't get involved with relationship between you two... But..."  
"Yeah?" he spat, bracing himself.  
"...Nothing. What was it that you said was important?"  
Squinting his eyes Logan snarled: "Are you planning something with him? What were you talking there?"  
"Logan, I'm not betraying you."  
"What were you talking?"  
"It's private."  
"WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" he roared and walked to her, trying to grab her but she moved away. He followed.  
"Do you fucking understand he's dangerous? That he's the enemy of X-men?" he kept asking and demanding as they moved around the room, he chasing her.  
"That he doesn't care for anyone? That he kills women and children? How the hell do you care for something like him? How can you ignore those things? What the hell he said to you? How the hell can I trust you if you want to fuck  _him_?!"

She stopped running. And turning towards him dropped down, swiping towards his legs from aside but he jumped, lunging to her.  
They wrestled, the action becoming quickly more rough as he wanted her to just stay still and come into her senses. How the hell did she just love that psychopath? What Victor had? Anna was not into money nor sex so what the hell was it?!  
"FUCKING ANSWER!" he shouted as he succeeded grabbing her by the shoulders and shook her, Anna's head hitting the floor as she grimaced, her hands on his.  
Logan froze, staring and demanding as she stared up to him with pained expression.  
"...I don't know", she said, swallowing. "It doesn't... I'm sorry that it hurts you Logan. But I can't help it."  
"He's like your father, just like you told me."  
Abusive. Terrorizing.  
"...No, not really. You know... Despite hating him, I understood why father was so hard on me."  
Sneering in disbelief Logan however listened to her crazy talk. If she was talking of her father like that, after so long and many times showing how much she despise him...  
"He didn't want me to be a prey because he wouldn't be there one day for me. Did he hurt me, made me angry and sad? Crazy? Of course he did. He did wrong towards me, but he didn't do it all because of fun. He just didn't think, I was capable of taking care of myself. He was worried of me and loved me in his own, twisted way... But Victor."  
Logan's softened gaze hardened again.  
"...He... He doesn't see me as a prey, or that I'm broken. He sees me as me", she speaks with such relief and happiness through threatening tears, he's gaze turning into shock.  
"He doesn't judge me or reject me or anything what everyone else does, and it's fucking wonderful! He recognizes me as what I am and it makes me so damn happy and he makes me laugh and feel like I deserve him!"

Logan lets himself be pushed away, stares with jarred by her stern words as she gets up.  
"And I'm sorry that this all insults you. And I understand this will change things but I have enough of  **running**."

The door opens and Hank comes in, immediate worry and regret covering his face as he looks at both of them.

* * *

Hank decided to look at the surveillance camera's data later on, to figure out what exactly had happened as he had been with Ororo to talk about the situation with Sabretooth.  
Clearly they couldn't let the feral man loose.  
They should probably most likely to call for S.H.I.E.L.D, they would have all the rights and resources to deal with the wanted man, deciding his ultimate faith.

However, Hank still couldn't held himself from telling headmistress and the X-men's leader of his theory. She hadn't taken it with open arms, as expected.  
"You do know that would be wrong, crazy and putting everyone into danger?" she had said.  
And he agreed. But also wondered, what would have Charles said? If there was maybe opportunity to help Sabretooth to turn into their side, make him a better person?  
Of course it would not be simple nor easy **at all**. For many reasons. Victor's and Logan's past being one of them.

Hank looked from sulking Anna to the other door which had been shaken from force as Logan had slammed it shut, after storming away from the fight the two feral had been in. It seemed that something very meaningful had been said or done, because after Hank had entered, the two ferals had started shouting at each other.  
And it seemed the subject was heavily about Anna and Victor and their relationship and how Logan felt about it.

Looking again at Anna, as she sat on a chair with knees against her chest, Hank wondered, while acting to look through some papers, that should he...  
"Care to tell me what you were fighting about?"  
"...Nothing."  
"Doesn't sound like nothing."  
"Oh for the fucks sake", she snarled at him. "Fine. He doesn't like I may have things towards Victor."  
"...Things...?"  
"I'm not gonna say anything more", she informed. "Just making it clear: I'm not betraying anyone here and not taking any sides."

...Well, he was intrigued. Turning his gaze to the monitor that showed Sabretooth sitting near the cell's door on the floor, the blue feral wondered. Deciding to make a little... Test. Nothing dangerous of course.  
"Could I ask you to do something Anna?"

* * *

Claws extending and retreating Victor looked at them, hands resting on his knees. Wondering what would be Logan's next birthday present. It would be a late one as Sabretooth had missed it this year for clear reasons.  
Oh stupid runt. This one would be special one, something really good, Victor thought with a dark smile. It was a mistake to take his mate, three times now. Did little brother think that having a mate was gonna soften Sabretooth up? Not when little brother was a dirty betrayed and thief.  
Victor was going to give a lesson that would be carved into the runt's metal covered skull...

Hearing however someone coming, and smelling first faintly his mate, the feral man got up. Anxiously waiting while standing near the wall, smile creeping onto his face as he finally saw her.  
And she was carrying some stuff.  
"Well well bambi", he casually said while leaning against the glass wall, purring faintly. "Did you bring those just for me?"


End file.
